A war mascot monkey who died 70 years ago in a suspected booze-fuelled army lockdown in neutral Ireland has been immortalised.

A statue of Tojo the monkey was erected in Clonakilty, west Cork, where he and a US Air Force crew made an emergency landing in a war plane in 1943.

A plaque marking the site at White's Marsh was also unveiled, as the anniversary of the local legend was celebrated.

Dena O'Donavan, who runs O'Donavan's Hotel where Tojo was buried, said his arrival and time in Clonakilty is one of the town's most-loved historical tales.

"It's a bizarre story, you couldn't make it up," she said.

Tojo, named after the Japanese prime minister of the time, was plied with food and drink - alien to a monkey diet - as the locals welcomed him and the crew into the community.

The crew was being held at the hotel, which was used as a temporary army barracks during the Second World War, until their identities were verified.

When Tojo died a number of days after their arrival, he was given a traditional Irish wake and funeral with military honours.

"Before his burial, Tojo was laid on a bed in one of the rooms upstairs and people queued throughout the hotel to see his body," Ms O'Donovan said.

"People were genuinely devastated when he died.

"Some say his little body couldn't handle the cold in Ireland, others say it was the food - monkeys have not been known to eat black pudding. But others have said he was given quite a bit to drink."

Tojo was buried in soil at the back of the hotel, which has since been flattened out and built over.

"No-one ever dug him up. His little bones are still there, under the floorboards of the dance hall," Ms O'Donovan said.

Ms O'Donovan's father Thomas and his sister Bernie ran the hotel when the American visitors arrived.

Their war plane - a Boeing B17 Flying Fortress - was travelling from Morocco to England when it was forced to make an unscheduled stop in the Clonakilty marsh in April 1943.

The soldiers thought they had been flying over German-occupied Norway but got disorientated in fog and ended up in Ireland, which was neutral during the Second World War.

The crew, who were uninjured in the landing, met a local man named Eddie Collins as they emerged from the bog, who directed them to O'Donovan's Hotel.

Their landing was only officially recognised in 1986.

"When we discovered they were American, there was great excitement in the town," Ms O'Donovan said.

"There was a sort of carnival atmosphere for days. People took time off work to go to see this massive plane and the soldiers were like celebrities.

"But none were as famous as Tojo. No-one had ever seen a monkey, so he was treated very well indeed."

Ms O'Donovan, whose hotel has been in the family for six generations, said the GIs were a particular hit with the local ladies.

She added that the family had continued to find mementos from their visit in the hotel over the years - including a lighter with a US military emblem and their Air Force wings.

Up to 100 people took part in the anniversary celebrations today, which included the presentation of the plaque at the marsh.

The bronze statue of Tojo, created by local sculptor Moss Gaynor, was later unveiled in a reception at the hotel.

Ms O'Donovan said the locals have yet to decide where the statue will go, but it will most likely be somewhere on Recorders' Alley under the hotel.