Church of Scientology donations up 76% in Ireland

Donations to the Church of Scientology in Ireland increased by 76 per cent last year, newly-filed accounts show.

The Church of Scientology Mission of Dublin Limited reported donations for the 12 months to the end of April 2015 of €86,716, compared with €49,138 a year earlier.

The organisation, which lists its principal activities as “the operation of a church and the provision of religious services”, recorded a full-year deficit after providing for depreciation of €19. This compared with a deficit of €35,594 in 2014.

The Church of Scientology, which has a number of high-profile celebrity members, such as actors John Travolta and Tom Cruise (above), was established by the American science fiction writer L Ron Hubbard in the 1950s.

Its Irish headquarters are on Middle Abbey Street in Dublin. The organisation said its members’ fund in Ireland showed a deficit of €173,088.

In terms of possible risks that might impact on the company’s financial position, the directors listed “uncertainty of continued services due to general society problems”.

"The company plans to continue its present activities and increase current service levels," directors Siobhan Ryan and Gerard Ryan said.