'Proud of who we are'

Rise of St Piran's Day as Cornwall asserts its own identity

- Steven Morris

It was a crisp morning in Launceston, an ancient capital of Cornwall, and the town was humming as St Piran’s Day celebrations got into full swing yesterday.

Children paraded and danced, songs were sung, speeches made and the odd tear was shed as people celebrated all things Cornish.

The day has become a highlight of spring in the far southwest of England, a chance to celebrate a patron saint but perhaps more than that to think about what it is to be Cornish in the 21st century.

"It’s a brilliant day," said the town’s mayor, Nicola Gilbert, born and bred in Cornwall. “We're very patriotic here, proud of who we are. We tend to get forgotten - we’re at the other end of the country. But we don’t forget who we are.”

The modern incarnation of St Piran’s Day is going from strength to strength, sprawling from 5 March into the following weekend.

Celebrations like the Launceston one were taking place in Bodmin, Truro and Falmouth, and today and Saturday a new two-day festival marking cultural, academic and economic connections between Cornwall and Wales is being run in St Austell.

"I think there’s a resurgence in Cornish culture,” said Ross Wheeler, a stilt walker who took part in the Launceston parade. “It would be great if we could turn it into a bank holiday.”