Cornish Pirates

King Heino & The Pirates

Celebrate World Book Day

5th March 2009

A group of Cornish Pirates players attended World Book Day at Penzance Library on St. Piran's Day - Thursday 5th March.

The plan was simply to be there as role models and talk to children during 'National Year of Reading'.

Angie Butler

They were, however, in for a surprise as Angie Butler, local author and storyteller, was there to read the story of St. Piran, an early 6th century abbot and saint, supposedly of Irish origin.

St. Piran, who is the patron saint of tin-miners, and is generally regarded as the patron saint of Cornwall, supposedly 'rediscovered' tin smelting here in Cornwall when his black hearthstone, which evidently was a slab of tin-bearing ore, got hot.

The heat apparently caused smelting to take place and tin rose to the top in the form of a white cross - thus the image on the St. Piran's flag.

After Phil Westren introduced the players, Angie wasted no time to commandeer Heino Senekal, Wayne Davey, Blair Cowan, Sam Raven, Rob Elloway, Matt Evans and Rhys Jones, who to their credit responded in true sporting fashion to take part in the proceedings.

Heino, who played his 100th game for the club on Sunday, was given the part of an Irish King, whilst the other lead role was that of St. Piran himself. Wayne Davey present, was of course the obvious choice, and, as ever, he was not going to let anybody down.

Wayne Davey As St. Piran	Heino As An Irish King
As for the story, legend has it that Irishmen tied St. Piran to a mill-stone and tossed him into stormy seas. However, the sea immediately calmed whereupon the millstone floated across the sea from Ireland to Cornwall, where it landed on a sandy beach at Perranzabuloe.
Everyone present, including surprised members of the public, parents and children, thoroughly enjoyed the event, which emphasised the importance of books and reading.