Make St. Piran's Day a public holiday - MP's

Cornwall's five Liberal Democrat MPs have called for St Piran's Day to be made a public holiday. There were celebrations all over Cornwall on March 5th, including marches in Bodmin and Truro and events in many other towns across the Duchy.

North Cornwall MP, Dan Rogerson, will table a House of Commons motion welcoming a move by Bodmin, St Columb and Penzance Town Councils to make the day a staff holiday. MPs have signed up to signal their support for Cornwall's "unique heritage, language, culture and aspirations". Commenting, he said, "Some Town Councils have led the way. Now it's time for everyone to get St Piran's Day as their day to enjoy Cornwall. "National bank holidays usually mean large numbers of visitors descend on our towns and villages, whereas a St Piran's Day holiday for the whole of Cornwall would give us the opportunity to celebrate our heritage and culture, outside the main tourist season: a welcome break for the many who work night and day during the summer.

Andrew George, MP for the West Cornwall constituency of St Ives and the Isles of Scilly added: "We're hard working and resourceful. We're also an enterprising people and we can afford to reward ourselves for our distinctiveness. We're letting ourselves down if we cannot find time to celebrate the Cornishness of Cornwall. If we want Cornwall to stand out, then we should stand up and say so."

Saints and Tinners

I'm writing this in March, not 1st April! Legend tells us how Piran, originating from Ireland, was cast into the sea tied to a millstone by order of the Irish king, who was suspicious of Piran's miraculous powers. Piran survived the journey and landed on Perran Sands where he built an oratory which is buried under the towans. His first disciples were alleged to have been a badger, a fox and a bear. The saint is most famous for his discovery of tin, when the blackstone on his fireplace became so hot, white liquid leaked out ( silly, me, believing the Romans got there first ) This discovery forms the basis of the design, the white-hot tin on black ore, of the Cornish flag. The white cross on black is universally considered the symbol of the Cornish identity. St. Piran's day celebrations are growng in popularity with hundred of 'pilgrims' making their way to the oratory on 5th March.

There is no doubt that St. Piran lives in the hearts and minds of the Cornish across the globe, but come on.... tied to a floating millstone, converting a bear, convincing followers to worship at a buried church... the legend also tells his fondness for a tipple! I've met loads of Cornishman that tell those kind of stories sitting in the corners of pubs, without being any sort of saint! However, I'm English living a Cornish life and we believe St George killed a dragon.

Cornwall is a matrix of ancient religions, Celtic, pagan and Methodist. All of which have a fundamental, intrinsic level of belief at the heart of small communities and nature's places. The Methodists built small chapels where the Celtic missionaries had their cells and churches at sites previously used as pagan holy wells, springs and standing stones.

In the 5th and 6th centuries, hundreds of Celtic missionaries settled in Cornwall, converting small groups of local folk to Christianity. These saints aren't known outside the county, perhaps it was because they liked it so much there was no desire to preach their mission further afield, or maybe, it was their unreliable means of transport; St. Piran on his millstone, St. Ia on an ivy leaf and St. Budoc used a barrel.

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