Monkey business in Clonakilty

THERE are different versions of what exactly was said in the exchange between the US Air Force man setting foot on the soil of an unknown land and the local farmer, but this is the one most people agree on.

On April 7, 1943, in the midst of the Emergency, a plane was spotted circling over the Clonakilty area. All eyes were trained on the sky but just one person was in the immediate vicinity when the Boeing B-17 eventually touched down with a bump midway between the town and Inchydoney.

Those on board the US Air Force plane Taint-a-Bird had no idea what to expect once they landed, having been blown off course by a storm en route to England from Morocco. As far as the 10 crew, one passenger (and one monkey) were aware, they might be landing in occupied France, or in Belgium, and one theory held by navigator Cpt SB Hayes was that they might be off the coast of Norway. All that captain, 1st Lt Willie Thomas, knew for sure was that the plane had run out of fuel.