Now For The Scientology Bit

at

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On Saturday.

Outside 4, Merrion Square, Dublin…

The opening of the Church of Scientology’s Irish office.

Donal Lynch, in yesterday’s Sunday Independent, wrote:

The question of how Scientology would transplant its cultish craziness into a leafy Dublin street was answered on Saturday afternoon as a small crowd of about 200 gathered to watch the ribbon cutting on the group’s new national affairs office on Merrion Square.

It was like a mini Mardi Gras with a sinister edge. A line of people waved Irish flags and sang as a small band played As The Saints Go Marching In. A cheer went up as party streamers ignited and the doors swung open to “the public” – which excluded any passers-by or members of the press, who were strictly barred from entering (journalists are thought of as ‘merchants of chaos’ by the church).

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Emer Sugrue, reported on The Irish Times online wrote:

I somehow found myself at the launch, almost by accident, through a friend who had received an invitation. Not there as a journalist, I was afforded an interesting insight into the strange world of Scientology and what it hopes to do here in Ireland.

Before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Church held a party in the Davenport Hotel around the corner from their new office. As I wandered into the lobby feeling more out of place than I have in my life, an American woman with a painfully wide smile greeted me asked me if I was there for the dancing. I was led to a room with food, drinks and a live swing band.

…Nothing in the room indicated this event had anything to do with Scientology, until you started talking to people. Almost no one in the room was Irish, and it was clear (from an overheard conversation) that many of them had been flown in from the US and the UK for the event. The National Affairs Office staff are all new too, they arrived from their respective countries just last week, according to a number of them I spoke to.

Chatting to someone whose business card described them as ‘The Way to Happiness Co-ordinator’, I was told about the plans for the new office. She explained that this would be a secular branch of the church, not trying to convert people but just helping with social issues. She particularly stressed that they would be fighting for our human rights, human rights we don’t even know we have.

Mardi Gras with a sinister edge as Scientologists open new Dublin HQ (Sunday Independent)

Inside the strange world of the Church of Scientology in Dublin (Emer Sugrue, Irish Times)

Pics: Killian Raynor (top three) and Church of Scientology

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46 thoughts on “Now For The Scientology Bit

  1. Boy M5

    “‘The Way to Happiness Co-ordinator’”

    Sounds like Eircom’s Ciara, “Head of Doing Things Differently.”

    1. Delacaravanio

      Eircom are masters of doing things differently. They’re so good at it they ended up in examinership.

  2. Boj

    My Scientology Movie is a 2015 British documentary film about Scientology directed by John Dower, and written by and starring Louis Theroux. A must watch.

      1. Coppélia

        With Bodger’s rather unerring ear for conspiracy theories, BS should send him in there with a packed lunch for the day

    1. Lorcan Nagle

      From what I’ve heard, My Scientology Movie doesn’t add much that Going Clear didn’t already cover. And while I thought Going Clear was very good, there wasn’t a huge amount of new info in it to begin with.

    2. Jones

      A must watch if you’ve never seen a good documentary before. Saw it last week with the Q&A after. Released purely because they had started it pre Going Clear and assumingly needed some content to peddle to the BBC to warrant his extended jaunt to the Shtates. And as with his recent Saville docu, Theroux cannot go into too much depth on the topic and offer insight as BBC strictly vet everything they produce and basically make sure the other party is happy with the content within.

      1. ahjayzis

        Neither is Apple – but they can still book all their European profits through here and pay negligible tax. I’m assuming that’s the cult’s plan?

        Just hoping they’re not planning to capitalise on Catholicism’s decline by hoovering up the credulous!

        1. missred

          Fun fact: both of Tom Cruise’s wives were raised Catholic. Maybe the disillusioned lot can be persuaded to part with their earnings like the Sunday mass collection plate?

          1. Neilo

            You’re right, Kieran. Mimi Rogers is thought to have been instrumental in getting young Mapother into the Xenu business.

      2. Daisy Chainsaw

        They probably have all their accounts diverted through a “charity” like the Matheson Foundation.

  3. jackson

    loving those lenghtways Irish flags, very naziesque, we should ADORN all the streets of Dublin like that

  4. Bort

    So more or less sinister than the Catholic Church? Do they want our money? Do they cover up child sexual abuse? Do they tell women what to do with their bodies? Are they homophobic? They’ll be mono pushing the school system next!

    1. spudnick

      Wow, I was waiting for the first ‘DA CATLICK CHORCH IS WORSE!!!11’ comment. Bort does not disappoint.

      What, exactly, is your point? Should we therefore go easier on Scientology?

  5. Fergus the magic postman

    If you look very closely at the pic of the ribbon cutting, you can spot [redacted] hiding in the background.

  6. skeptical sam

    nice release of balloons, im sure some dolphin or sea bird will be delighted with their tri-colour lunch!

    1. Skeptical O'Hare

      What kind of explosive device do you need do you get ticker tape and ribbons to reach such heights? Or was it an air drop?

  7. Buckfastmonkey

    I watched Theroux’s Scientology movie at the weekend and it’s dull as dishwater. It’s basically Louis and ex-scientologist Marty Rathburn driving around LA and getting shooed by security guards. Louis’ first dud , very disappointing.

      1. Brian Walsh Pictures

        @Jusayinlike – and everyone else, to be fair. I thought his Savile documentary was fascinating at the time, and even more so now as we see the late scumbag doing what he did best – hoodwinking anyone trying to find the truth about him.

  8. some old queen

    So the Irish Times went in a spy and all we found out is that they are smart dressers, are good dancers and a dab hand at restoring old buildings. Sure doesn’t that cover about half of Pantibar on a Saturday night?

    Mind you, I doubt if Iona are too happy mind. Letters addressed to ‘That dodgy cult with secret finances, Merrion Square, Dublin’ now only has a one in two chance of reaching them

  9. kolmo

    Humanity at it’s most unnervingly sinister. An extremely powerful criminally manipulative conspiracy. They should be a prescribed organisation in ireland now before they sink their creepy claws further into irish life and it’s recruiters treated as outright gangsters. Boycot anyone making money from these ladyparts. Creepy knuts

  10. Neal Heneghan

    No one came out to protest this? They’ll protest Apple, water charges, the 8th but not this?

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