Achill Island, Mayo.

Donations up 50 per cent, you say?

The House of Prayer on Achill faces a potential tax bill of €125,000 with the controversial company’s accounts revealing that its income has risen by 22 per cent in the last year. The Achill-based religious retreat was stripped of its charity status by the Revenue Commissions in 2006, and has been plagued with allegations of financial irregularities.

Its founder Christina Gallagher, originally from Ballina, claims to have visions of the Virgin Mary and suffer from stigmata. In recent years, controversy has surrounded her perceived lavish lifestyle after it was revealed she was living in a €4 million home in Dublin and had other expensive property.

 

House of Prayer Faces Big Tax Bill As Income Soars (Anton McNulty Mayo News)