top of page

Celebrating Cornwall on 🏴‍☠️ 'Saint Piran's Day' 5th March




Here are a few ideas for a Cornwall themed CST session to celebrate 'St Piran's Day' on 5th March.


Start by asking members if they have enjoyed any holidays in Cornwall and what their favourite places there are?

What do they remember about Cornwall - the food, the tourist attractions, the beaches and the people?


Then there is a short 'Music and Picture Quiz' below.


You might like to print off lyrics of the songs for the group to singalong with?


Hint. You can either screenshot the 'rounds' and print them off as a handout or if you are broadcasting to a TV or projector if you click on the first photo a slide how will open.





FACTOID. The Cornish flag is dedicated to St Pirran. The Cornish word for Cornwall is 'Kernow'.




CORNISH IDIOMS & SAYINGS


"Were you born in a BARN?" ("Close the door.")

A few sandwiches short of a PICNIC

The bee's KNEES

Play a BLINDER

Bob's your UNCLE

Bog STANDARD

A botched JOB

What a load of cods WOLLOP

It cost a BOMB

A dog's DINNER

He's off GALLIVANTING

Gob SMACKED

Absolutely GUTTED

The dreaded LURGY

Don't over-egg the PUDDING

Spanner in the WORKS

Sod's LAW

Wind up MERCHANT

The coast is CLEAR

The world is your OYSTER

Like a fish out of WATER

Plenty more fish in the SEA




"That's cowing lush." ("It's lovely.")

"I'll do it dreckly." ("In a minute, maybe?")

"Alright me ansom?" ("Hello!")

"Geddon me bewty!" ("Good show!")

"T'int right, t'int fair, t'int proper." ("That's not right.")

"Landlubber." (Someone who dislikes being at sea.)

"Proper job." ("Well done!")

"Yer tis." ("Yes it is.")

"I'llItellywot" ("You're not going to believe this.")

"Wasson me cock?" (What's going on?")

"Zackly" ("Agreed.")

"Pizendawn" ("I wouldn't venture outside, it's rather wet.")

"Giss on!" ("Are you pulling my leg?")

"Wozelike?!" ("Always up to something that little scamp.")

"Grockles." ("Tourists.")

"I'm cream crackered." ("Knackered.")

'Curtain twitcher." ("Nosy person.")

"It's a doddle." ("Easy.")

"Give me a tinkle on the blower." ("Call me.")

"Right on!" ("Goodbye!")





MUSIC & PICTURE QUIZ



ROUND 1. About Cornwall



Which two industries & which Cornish bird appear on the Cornish coat of arms?


​Name the only city in Cornwall?

How many tourists visit Cornwall each year?


a. 500,000

b. 1 million

c. 1.5 million


​In this GWR advert, where were the 'Famous Five' headed (the most southerly & westerly station in the UK)? Who wrote the 'Famous Five' books?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sQvlBPFZgE



​Smuggling was rife in the 18th century. If caught with contraband they could be hanged. How many gallons of French Brandy were smuggled a year at its peak? a. 50,000 gallons b. 100,000 gallons c. 500,000 gallons


​From around 1750 to 1880 pilchard fishing was a thriving industry, but after this date it went into terminal decline. Why? a. Overfishing b. Pollution c. Disease


​During the 18th century Cornwall was the tin mining centre of the world. What year did the last mine close (due to plummeting prices)? a. 1898 b. 1948 c. 1998


​What year was the total eclipse of the sun in the UK, seen in totality in Cornwall?


a. 1979

b. 1989

c. 1999


​What is the highest point in Cornwall?


a. 'Brown Willy' on Bodmin Moor

b. St Michael's Mount

c. The cliffs at 'Cape Cornwall'


​Name the most southerly tip of the UK?How many miles is it to John O'Groats?


a. 1,189 miles

b. 2,189 miles

c. 3,189 miles


​Where is this ship heading, from Penzance? Can you name any of the islands?


​On entering Cornwall, what river do you cross at Plymouth?


Who designed and built this bridge?



FACTOID. Dorothy Pentreath (16 May 1692 [baptised] – 26 December 1777) was a fishwife from Mousehole, Cornwall, England. She is the best-known of the last fluent speakers of the Cornish language.





SONG BREAK. 'The Floral Dance', Terry Wogan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlH1af4siKQ


Which Cornish town is this song associated with?





ROUND 2. People


​Name this Cornish chef?


Where was his first restaurant?


​Name this comedian and actress, who lives in Fowey? Who was her comedy partner?



​Name this TV presenter? She lives near Padstow.


What other successful career does she have?


​Name this TV presenting couple? They live near Polperro.


What show is he on now?


​Name this TV chef?


What was his training restaurant in Watergate Bay called?


​Name this singer? Until recently he lived on Bodmin Moor.


What was his first hit single in 2002?


​Who is this? He enjoys holidaying in 'London By The Sea'?


Where is this?


​Name this couple? Until recently there were Duke & Duchess Of Cornwall.


What do people think about his announcement that she will be called 'Queen'?


​Which comedian is pictured here parodying him in 'The Windsors'? He lives in Rock.


Here is his best royal sketch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cQhdu6pQXs&t=4s


​Who are the Duke & Duchess Of Cornwall now?


How much does the 'Duchy Of Cornwall' bring in for the Royal family each year?

a. £2.4 million

b. £24 million

c. £204 million




SONG. 'Men Of The Sea', TV Theme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m9hxIC7N_I



Remember Chalky biting the microphone? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJX9V9M6xE4


FACTOID. This is why he named his lager 'Chalky's Bite'!





ROUND 3. Food & Drink


​Name this Cornish savoury treat? For which group of workers was the dish originally created for?



​Name this Cornish pie? Which type of fish are looking skywards?


a. Herring

b. Mackerel

c. Pilchard


​Cornish fishermen have changed the name of Spider Crab to increase its appeal to UK customers. What is it now called? a. Cornish King Crab b. Crabby Carb c. South West Super Crab


​How much is a portion of fish and chips (and a cup of tea) from Rick Stein's take away? (Who likes mushy peas?)


a. £5.95

b. £10.95

c. £20.95


​Name this Cornish cheese?


What plant is it wrapped in?


a. Spinach

b. Basil

c. Nettle


​What spice colours this bun yellow?


a. Tumeric

b. Saffron

c. Cinnamon


​Name this dense Cornish cake? What five simple ingredients do you think are used in making it?


​What type of ice cream is featured on the side of this 'Kelly's' ice cream van?


Name some other flavours?



​True or False. 'Cornish Cream Tea' has clotted cream on top. Devon has it on the bottom? What type of jam do you use?


​What is the main ingredient of Cornish mead? a. Fermented honey b. Molasses syrup c. Pressed apples



​How many apples does it take to make a gallon of scrumpy or cider?


a. 30-40 apples

b. 40-50 apples

c. 5-60 apples



SONG BREAK. 'I Am A Cider Drinker', The Wurzels - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72U3UbfJG40


What was their other hit song about farming?





ROUND 4. Art & Literature



​Who wrote the novel about smuggling called 'Jamaica Inn'? On which moor would you find the inn?


​Name this classic 1940 Hitchcock movie set in 'Manderley' near Falmouth? Which characters are pictured here?


​FACTOID. Dear Reader ... Whilst 'Manderley' is a fictional estate, it is actually based on a real place called 'Manabilly'. Shortly after the book was published Daphne Du Maurier moved here.


​Name this TV series? Name the characters?


​Which Gilbert & Sullivan operetta has a Cornish place name in its title?



​'The Admiral Benbow Inn' in Penzance sets the scene at the start of which book written by Robert Louis Stephenson in 1881?


What is the name of the pirate?


​Name this open air Cornish theatre?


Who created it?




​FACTOID. On the beach next to the theatre there is a telegraph museum. Porthcurno was the point at which many submarine telegraph cables - transatlantic and to other locations - came ashore.



​There is a living museum to this sculptress in St Ives. What is her name?



​Name the famous beach-side art gallery?


Where is it?


​Name this 2004 movie set in 'Prussia Cove'? Which two Dames starred in this movie about a young Polish violin player washed up on the beach?


​Name this doctor? Who played him?


Where is it set?


​Name the 2019 movie, about sea shanty singers from Port Isaac? What flavour are the cough sweets of the same name? (Who likes them?)



SONG BREAK. 'What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor', 'Fisherman's Friends' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52g7ak47IZo


What type of songs are sung by this group?





ROUND 5. My Tp 10 Tourist Attractions


​Name this North Cornwall fishing village (the biggest in the UK)?


Which river is it on?


​Name this 'biblical' Cornish garden? What is inside the domes?


​Name this famous Cornish holiday resort?


Why is it popular with artists?


​Name this North Cornwall castle/tourist attraction?


​Which mythical King is associated with this place?


​Having become 'lost to the brambles of time' in WW1 due to all of its gardeners dying in battle, in which year were 'The Lost Gardens Of Heligan' rediscovered? a. 1940 b. 1960 c. 1990


​Name this Newquay surfing beach (the lead surfing beach in the UK)? Apparently, Newquay is a popular destination for parties for brides and husbands to be. What are they called?



​Name this island? Which French place is it twinned with?


​Name this Cornish village that was flooded in 2004? Amazingly, no lives were lost. There is another museum here. Is it? a. Pilchard fishing museum b. National Trust c. Witchcraft


​To to the beach at 'Bedruthan Steps' you climb down a narrow staircase with a rope as a handrail. How many steps are there?

a. 49

b. 149

c. 259


​How do you pronounce 'Mousehole'? a. Mouse-hole b. Mous'all c. Muzzle



FACTOID. There is a popular children's book about Mousehole, based on the legend of Cornish fisherman Tom Bawcock and the stargazy pie, it tells the tale of a cat who goes with its owner on a fishing expedition in rough and stormy seas.


Can you answer the 'St. Ives' riddle? "On my way to St. Ives I saw a man with 7 wives. Each wife had 7 sacks. Each sack had 7 cats. Each cat had 7 kittens. Kittens, cats, sacks, wives. How many were going to St. Ives?"




SONG. 'Padstow May Day Song' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Yol4Y7rdew


FACTOID. The saying 'Pride Of Place' comes from the Manor House 'Prideaux Place' in Padstow?


FACTOID. There are two 'Obby Osses' that 'fight' before dancing around the maypole together.





FINAL SINGALONGS








And here is a surfing song to finish ...








PRACTICAL ACTIVITY



Right, weather allowing, we're going to the beach for the afternoon (in our imaginations). Have members choose which items they will take with them and pack an imaginary bag. What beach shall we go to?


Or you could ask the group to list as many fish as they can and get drawing or painting.






REFRESHMENTS



It has to be fish and chips right? Get a takeaway in, if you can.

Who wants mushy peas, tartare sauce or tomato sauce?


Wash it down with a St Austell's brewery ale.









ANSWERS


Fisherman, Miner & Chough (pronounced 'Chuff')


Truro / 1.5 million


Penzance / Enid Blyton


500,000 gallons ("Brandy makes you randy!")


Overfishing


1998


Totality was 11 mins past 11 on August 11th 1999


'Brown Willy' (1,378 feet above sea level)


Lands End / 603 miles as the crow flies


The Scilly Isles / St Mary's. St Agnes, Tresco, St Martin's & Bryher (Locals call the 'Scillonian' ship the 'Chuck Bucket', as waters are often choppy.)


Tamar / Isambard Kingdom Brunel



Helston - 'Floral Day' (annual festival)



Padstow / Rick Stein


Dawn French / Jennifer Saunders


Fern Britton / Author


Judy Finnigan & Richard Madeley / 'Good Morning Britain'


Jamie Oliver / 'Fifteen'


Will Young / 'Evergreen' ('Pop Idol' winner)


Prince Harry / Rock (opposite Padstow)


King Charles 111 & Camilla Parker-Bowles (nee)


Harry Enfield


Prince William & Kate Middleton (nee) / £24 million



Cornish Pasty / Tin Miners (apparently the crust was thrown away for the rats in the mines because of toxic chemicals on miners hands)


Stargazey Pie / Pilchards (Sardines)


Cornish King Crab


£10.95 (standard size)


Yarg / Nettles


Saffron bun (Saffron is the dried stamen of a crocus)


Hevva (Heavy) Cake / Flour, Butter, Dried Fruit, Sugar & Milk


A 99 Flake


True / Strawberry


Fermented honey


30-40 apples



"I've got a brand new 'Combine Harvester'"



Daphne Du Maurier / Bodmin Moor


'Rebecca' / The second Mrs De Winter (she was never given a name in the book) & Mrs Danvers


'Poldark' / Ross & Desmelda


'Pirates Of Penzance'


'Treasure Island' / Long John Silver


'Minnack Theatre' / Rowena Cade


Barbara Hepworth


'Tate Modern' / St Ives


'Ladies In Lavender' / Dames Maggie Smith & Judi Dench


'Doc Martin' / Martin Clunes / Port Wenn (which is actually Port Isaac)


'Fishermans Friends' / Menthol & Eucalyptus



Sea Shanties



Padstow / Camel


'Eden' / The biomes contain tropical and mediterranean forest gardens


St Ives / Because of the light. The sun reflects brightly off the golden sands.


Tintagel


King Arthur & The Knights Of The Round Table


1990


Fistral Bay / 'Hen' and 'Stag Dos'


St Michael's Mount / Mont Saint Michel


Boscastle / Witchcraft


149 steps are cut into the cliff


Muzzle


One (he met all the others on his way)










Comments


You might also like ...

bottom of page