1998 in Scotland
# 1998 in Scotland

Events from the year 1998 in Scotland.

## Incumbents

* 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

* 7 March – Outer Hebrides community radio station Isles FM is launched, broadcasting from studios in Stornoway.
* 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 near the town of Dunbar, East Lothian.
* 31 May – The Sky Scottish satellite television channel closes after eighteen 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 seventy-sixth 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

* 1 March – Mili Smith, curler
* 23 May – Ross Cunningham, footballer
* 19 July – Erin Cuthbert, footballer
* 22 September – Isis Hainsworth, actress
* 20 October – Jordan Allan, footballer

## Deaths

* 10 March – Ian Dunn, gay and paedophile rights activist, founder of the Scottish Minorities Group (born 1943)
* 7 April – James McIntosh Patrick, landscape painter (born 1907)
* 15 October – Iain Crichton Smith, poet (born 1928)
* 21 October – Sir Alec Cairncross, economist (born 1911)
* November – Robin Hall, folk singer (born 1936)
* 8 November – Rumer Godden, novelist (born 1907 in England)

## 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.
