St. Piran's Day, Patron Saint of Cornwall

Message from the Grand Bard of the Cornish Gorsedd to mark St Piran's Day, 5th March 2013:

Dhe Gernowyon yn pub le, Dy’ Goel Sen Piran da dhywgh-hwi oll!

To Cornish people everywhere, a Happy Pirantide to you all! 

This year we have had many more requests than ever for the Grand Bard to support various activities, celebrating St. Piran throughout Kernow. This is wonderful news and good to see the events multiplying and being spread out over several days, so that I can travel the full length of Kernow. Even so, some events clash and we have sent out the past Grand Bards and the deputy Grand Bard to help and join in with these extra events. If we carry on growing, then St. Piran's Day MUST become a public holiday, a chance for everyone to celebrate! 

We are lucky to have a saint who enjoyed feasting, so celebrating his life by having a good time seems appropriate and enjoyable. He was also a man of the land, living amongst the dunes, collecting firewood for the fire that ended up smelting tin and living on fish from the sea. It is also said he decorated his cell with crystals that he found whilst out walking in our historic landscape. 

But most importantly, St. Piran was a man who had values. He stuck to what he believed to be right and was prepared to die for his beliefs. He connected well with everyone, earning their respect. He was courteous, self-effacing, witty, inventive and thoughtful for other people, community minded. In these respects, he is a good role model for Cornish children. 

Life has always been hard for Cornish people; they are survivors and the difficulties have formed their characters. Cornish scientists, inventors and others have made their mark not only on Cornwall, but the world. Men like Humphry Davy and Richard Trevithick have changed people’s lives for the good. Materially, Cornish people had little in life, but the most important thing they had was their creativity, the will to improve their lot in life. 

In these present times of austerity, it is important that we keep our confidence up, so celebrating St. Piran’s Day is incredibly important. We will survive through our creativity, by using what is within us and costs nothing. We will invent and create NEW ways of survival , which is what we have ALWAYS done and history proves it WORKS.

In the latest Census, Cornish people have shown themselves to be present all over the UK and more school children identified themselves as Cornish in this year’s PLASC survey, Junior section. This augurs well. We also remember today all those people throughout the world who had to leave Kernow to earn a crust of bread and took their skills worldwide. Their descendants remain in the Diaspora, but their homes will be forever Cornish. To you all, wherever you live, “Be Proud to be Cornish; stand up and be counted.”

I wish you all a very Happy St.Pirantide, enjoy all these events happening throughout Kernow and in the Diaspora, in memory of our much loved saint. Make sure our children know about St.Piran and how we celebrate his life every year and that Kernow is a unique and special place, one that we cherish and must keep safe for future generations, the inheritors of our Earth.

Dy’Goel Sen Peran Da dhywgh-hwi oll arta, Kernow bys vykken.