1998 in Scotland

Incumbents

• Monarch – Elizabeth II
• Secretary of State for Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal – Donald Dewar

  Law officers

• Lord Advocate – Lord Hardie
• Solicitor General for Scotland – Colin Boyd

  Judiciary

• Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Rodger of Earlsferry
• Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Cullen
• Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord McGhie

  Events

• 31 March – the last Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouse is converted to automatic operation without resident keepers, Fair Isle South.
• 25 May – Torness Nuclear Power Station commissioned.
• 31 May – the Sky Scottish satellite television channel closes after 18 months on air.
• 10 June – Scotland open the 1998 World Cup, playing champions Brazil in France, though they lose 2-1 after a deflected goal in the 76th minute.
• 16 June – Scotland draw 1–1 against Norway in their second game of the World Cup.
• 23 June – Scotland lose 3–0 to Morocco in their final group stage match of the world Cup, failing to qualify for the next round.
• August – Edinburgh Modular Arm System, the world's first bionic arm, is fitted.
• 24 August – The Netherlands is selected as the venue for the trial of the two Libyans who are charged with the Lockerbie aircraft bombing that killed 270 people in December 1988.
• 5 October - Fife radio station Kingdom FM is launched, broadcasting from studios in Markinch
• November – Scottish Socialist Party established.
• 19 November – the Scotland Act, the legislation to set up a devolved unicameral Scottish Parliament, receives its royal assent.
• 30 November – new Museum of Scotland opened in Edinburgh.
• 26 December – great Boxing Day Storm: severe gale force winds hit Ireland, southern Scotland and northern England. Roads, railways and electricity are disrupted.

  Births

• 23 May – Ross Cunningham, footballer
• 19 July – Erin Cuthbert, footballer
• 20 October – Jordan Allan, footballer

  Deaths

• 10 March – Ian Dunn, gay and paedophile rights activist, founder of the Scottish Minorities Group
• 7 April – James McIntosh Patrick, landscape painter
• 15 October – Iain Crichton Smith, poet
• 21 October – Sir Alec Cairncross, economist
• November – Robin Hall, folk singer
• 8 November – Rumer Godden, novelist

  The arts

• Martyn Bennett's Celtic fusion album Bothy Culture is released.
• Kevin MacNeil's poetry collection Love and Zen in the Outer Hebrides is published in Edinburgh.
• The BBC Scotland television drama Looking After Jo Jo, starring Robert Carlyle, is screened.