SKIBBEREEN is buzzing with activity as filming of Jimmy, a new biopic about Hollywood legend and WWII hero James ‘Jimmy’ Stewart, continues.

The film, starring KJ Apa as Jimmy Stewart alongside actors Jason Alexander and Sarah Drew, focuses on Stewart’s life from his Hollywood career to his service as a B-24 Liberator bomber pilot in the US Army Air Corps during World War II.

The production, which is being hailed as the biggest film ever to be shot in West Cork, has brought a touch of old-school glamour to the area, including a classic aircraft.

The filmmakers have brought a Percival Pembroke to the Skibbereen showgrounds, where it is being used as a stand-in for a WWII-era plane.

However, this is not the first time a vintage aircraft has graced this specific location.

The Percival Pembroke is positioned almost directly across the road from where, on April 21st 1944, a Halifax bomber of the Royal Air Force’s 517 (Met) Squadron made an emergency landing.

After a long weather reconnaissance mission over the Atlantic, the Halifax had to land in a field known as ‘The Marsh,’ providing a spectacle for the local community.

The crew was safe, and was reportedly shown great hospitality by the locals before being processed by authorities.

The aircraft was later dismantled and exchanged for a consignment of tea in Northern Ireland.

This unexpected bit of local history has created a fascinating parallel to the current film production, as ‘Jimmy’s’ vintage plane is not just a nod to Stewart’s own military service, but also a connection to a real-life event that unfolded in the very same area over 80 years ago.