There have been several claimed sightings of UFOs in Ireland and many more may be going unreported, delegates will be told at the second Irish UFO Conference in Co Leitrim this weekend.
Betty Meyler, president of the Irish UFO Society, says: "A lot of people think that everything happens elsewhere, but lots of UFOs are seen in Ireland. The problem is that people don't know who to report sightings to."
Ms Meyler now acts as a contact for people who believe they have seen UFOs and she compiles a list of reported sightings.
She says there is photographic evidence of a recent UFO sighting in Lough Key, Co Roscommon. Pictures taken of Church Island revealed a "big white light". This was said to be at least four to five metres (12-15ft) wide and it seemed to be coming from the water in front of the island.
"I believe that the light is a portal that UFOs use as a base," Ms Meyler says.
The aim of this weekend's conference, which will be attended by about 100 delegates, is to "encourage people to keep their eyes open and looking for signs", according to Ms Meyler. To the more sceptical, she asks that "people keep an open mind".
UFOs can be difficult to spot, since they are "often here one minute and gone the next", Ms Meyler explains. She suggests that they can be distinguished easily from planes since they "move at tremendous speed and change direction very quickly".
"I believe that extra-terrestrials will be making themselves known to us in the near future," Ms Meyler asserts. "People are becoming more open to the idea of UFOs, and this makes it more likely that we will make contact."
For more information, e-mail info@ufosocietyireland.com