L. RON Hubbard, the US naval officer's son and best selling science fiction author who developed dianetics and founded the Church of Scientology, has never had much success in Ireland. He first came here in December 1955, a year after his first church was founded in Los Angeles, and formed a small group.
This soon lapsed and it was not until the late 1980s that the Scientologists returned to set up a "mission" in Dublin with an office in Middle Abbey Street. In between the occasional public controversies which seem to follow the Scientologists, this became known as the place where people went to do free "personal development" courses advertised in leaflets.
Ireland is unique in western Europe in that the "mission" has never attracted enough members to become a "church". Its spokesman, Mr Gerard Ryan, a Dublin architect, estimates current membership at 200. Mr Mike Garde, of the Dialogue Ireland group, which monitors so called "new religious movements", puts it at nearer 40.
Mr Ryan says over 30,000 Dubliners have done the Scientology personal development course. "The majority do it for a laugh and have no further interest."
Another disincentive for Dubliners to delve deeper into Scientology is the cost of its courses. The "purification run down" course, for example, which aims to get rid of the toxins in people's bodies, costs around £1,000 for four to six weeks.
The International Church of Scientology, which disseminates the teachings and practices of L. Ron Hubbard (who died in 1986), has its headquarters in Los Angeles, claims eight million adherents worldwide and is a movement of considerable wealth. It has always had a particular attraction for Hollywood actors: Tom Cruise Nicole Kidman and John Travolta are members.
It is based on Hubbard's so called science of dianetics. The application of dianetics techniques, according to the blurb for his 1950 book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, "can raise intelligence, lower the rate of illness and mental anguish and bring about a far higher and happier state of mind".
Scientology has always been controversial. In 1964 Hubbard was banned from reentering Britain and had to move his headquarters from Sussex to a flotilla of ships. In 1979 there was a purge of staff members in the church following the conviction of Hubbard's wife and eight other officials for various offences connected with burglary of US federal agencies.
In January the US State Department supported an open letter placed in US newspapers by 30 prominent figures - including actors, film directors and writers - which accused Germany of a "shameful pattern of organised persecution" of church members there. The German government countered by describing Scientology as a cult like organisation built on "pseudoscience". It said membership could "lead to psychological and physical dependency, to financial ruin and even to suicide".
According to the London based INFORM network, which monitors new religious movements with the support of the mainstream British churches, concern about Scientology centres on the sharply escalating cost of its courses, its aggressive retaliation against opponents and the psychological pressure on members to work excessively hard for little pay.