Irish teacher Enoch Burke returns to protest at school that sacked him for refusing to call a boy a girl following his third release from prison – and claims he was ‘welcomed’ by pupils
A controversial teacher who was ‘sacked for refusing to use gender neutral pronouns’ says students at his former school are ‘showing support’ for his protests.
Enoch Burke found himself in the centre of Ireland’s culture wars after he refused to refer to a transitioning transgender student’s pronouns in May 2022.
It sparked a chain of events that has led to Enoch being jailed for repeatedly showing up at Wilson’s Hospital School in County Westmeath after he was fired two years ago.
Enoch, who has amassed over €193,000 in fines for refusing to comply with the High Court order to stay away from the school, was released from prison for a third time on 20 December 2024.
In an attempt to deter Enoch from returning to Wilson’s Hospital School, the judge doubled the daily fine from €700 to €1,400.
However, this didn’t stop the teacher, who is still receiving his full salary while he appeals his sacking, from turning up at the school on the first day of term yesterday.
Although the temperature dropped below zero at points, Enoch stood outside his former place of employment for the duration of its teaching hours yesterday.
Speaking to the Irish Daily Mirror, Enoch claimed students had shown their support for him by waving from their classrooms.
Pictured: Enoch Burke outside Wilson’s Hospital School in County Westmeath in defiance of their court order
He said: ‘I should be in a classroom today, in a heated classroom doing the job I love and teaching the children I love.
‘There’s only one reason I was pushed out into the cold and it’s because I said I would not accept transgenderism.’
However, the teacher is adamant that he is not ‘protesting’ but merely ‘reporting for work’.
He added: ‘I was welcomed by students knocking on the windows and waving from the classrooms and showing their support. This could all be over today, all of this horrific situation could be over today if the judges did what they should have done.’
Although Enoch has been forcibly removed by the Gardaí before, he was not disturbed while standing outside the reception from 9:15 to 3:45 yesterday.
What’s more, Enoch was supported by 20 protestors, who stood outside the school gates holding signs.
One read: ‘Enoch Burke is not a criminal. He is a Christian teacher.’
‘Parents and teachers, your silence is deafening,’ another read. ‘Stand up for Enoch Burke: wrongfully imprisoned teacher, Christian, son and brother.’
Pictured: Teacher Enoch Burke outside Wilson’s Hospital School yesterday. The former history teacher stood outside in the sub-zero temperatures and said he was ‘reporting from work’
Enoch Burke was supported by 20 protestors, who stood outside the school gates holding signs
Wilson’s Hospital School in County Westmeath, Ireland. The former teacher took issue with the former headteacher asking staff to refer to a transgender student by their new name and pronouns
Enoch has always previously been driven to his former place of work by his father – but relied on a family member yesterday while Sean Burke serves two months in prison for assaulting a female Garda.
Sean assaulted Garda Victoria Fisher on 7 March 2023, the same day his son Enoch’s case was taken to the Court of Appeal. The judge decided to maintain a court order stating that Enoch must stay away from Wilson’s Hospital School premises.
The father-of-10 pleaded not guilty at Dublin District court and pledged to represent himself in proceedings. Sean defiantly said that the court hearing would last ‘an hour, maybe two’, according to the Irish Independent.
However, local media reports the hearing began before midday on 9 May and ended at around 11pm.
The trial heard Sean, who is in his 60s, ‘flung’ Victoria Fisher to the ground ‘like a red rag to a bull’ after his wife was escorted out of the Court of Appeal.
Enoch’s father held up a sign outside the school in December 2023 reading: ‘Christmas in Mountjoy for Christian teacher’
Enoch’s mother Martina protests outside the school, where the annual carol concert was being held in December 2023
Former History and German teacher Enoch Burke seen outside Wilson’s Hospital School in January 2023, violating their court order to stay away
Enoch Burke outside Wilson’s Hospital School in Co Westmeath in January 2023 – after he was released from prison
Sean’s daughter Ammi also pleaded not guilty to obstructing a garda, who had arrested younger brother Simeon for a ‘volatile’ breach of the peace.
Judge Michele Finan found Sean and Ammi guilty of the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of six months imprisonment. Meanwhile, obstruction of arrest can result in one year in prison.
The judge said she believed people had ‘lost the run of themselves’ during the incident and applied the Probation Act for Sean Burke, which means he will not have a recorded conviction.
She noted Sean’s previous lack of criminal record and said she believed he acted out of concern for his wife – but said there was no justification for assaulting the garda.
Ammi was also ordered to pay a €400 fine, which must be paid within a year. However, Ammi told the court she has no intention of paying it.
Enoch Burke pictured leaving the the Court of Appeal in Dublin, following a unanimous ruling to dismiss his appeal against court orders made against him in March 2023
In Spring 2022, headteacher Niamh McShane sent an email to her staff informing them of the student’s new name and pronouns.
After receiving the email, Burke is said to have raised his issue with the change of pronouns during a staff meeting on May.
While giving evidence in a later trial, deputy headteacher John Galligan said that Burke ‘erupted’ during the meeting and ‘changed colour completely’.
According to the former deputy head, Burke – whose ‘forte’ was said to have been extracurricular debating – spoke for a ‘good five to eight minutes’.
After this, guidance counsellor Freda Malone told a court that she approached Burke to tell him she was sorry he was so upset and noted that he had tears in his eyes.
In a follow-up meeting between the headteacher, her deputy and Burke, Mr Galligan claimed the jailed teacher repeated how he was ‘opposed to transgenderism’ as a result of his religion.
Former history and German teacher Burke seen arriving at the Four Courts in Dublin after being dismissed by the school
Burke’s sister Ammi is forcibly removed from the Court of Appeal in March 2023 for interrupting a judgment being read out
Following this, Burke is said to have publicly interjected after a religious service celebrating the school’s 260th anniversary to criticise Ms McShane’s supposed ‘demand’ that staff refer to the student by their chosen pronouns.
In 2022, Ammi had attended a meeting between Enoch and his former employer, which determined if he was going to be suspended or face any kind of disciplinary.
Enoch’s former boss Niamh McShane submitted a stage-four report to the chair of the board John Rogers about Burke’s outbursts – which prompted the representative to arrange a meeting with the teacher.
The purpose of the meeting was to decide if Burke should be suspended or face any kind of disciplinary.
Burke’s sister Ammi is said to have joined him for the meeting – which was adjourned for 15 minutes by Mr Rodgers, who said it was ‘going nowhere’.
When the representatives returned to the meeting room, the Burkes had left.
After this, the board made the unanimous decision to place Burke on paid leave while they dealt with the misconduct allegation.
According to Mr Galligan, there were growing concerns ‘about what [Burke’s] next protest might and the form it would take’ in the new school year.
Enoch’s siblings Ammi and Josiah Burke seen outside an Irish court in October 2023. The pair have been vocal in their support of Enoch
Burke seen arriving at the High Court, Dublin, after he was committed to Mountjoy Prison in Dublin for breaching a temporary court order that he was to stay away from his workplace
Despite being put on leave, Burke is said to have attended a staff meeting at the start of the school year.
After repeatedly arriving on school grounds, Burke was allegedly asked to leave ‘every hour’ by the deputy head.
The ex-deputy head said: ‘[Burke] would be there for the day, standing in the room reading from a book. That’s where he remained.’
Mr Galligan says Burke refused to leave the premises – insisting he was ‘there to work and attend meetings’.
In May 2023, the Irish High Court ruled that the school had acted lawfully in suspending Burke and said Enoch had been ‘trespassing’ on their grounds.
In an attempt to keep Burke away from the premises while they conducted the investigation, the school took out a temporary court order against the teacher – which still didn’t deter him.
In August 2022, Enoch was sued by the school for his failure to comply with the court order and later arrested for being in contempt of court.
At his initial hearing on September 6 that year, Mr Burke told Judge Quinn: ‘I am a teacher and I don’t want to go to prison. I want to be in my classroom today, that’s where I was this morning when I was arrested.’
‘I love my school, with its motto Res Non Verba, actions not words, but I am here today because I said I would not call a boy a girl.’
When the case went to the High Court the following week, Burke, who was representing himself, maintained that he would not purge his contempt of court for violating the order, insisting that he was being persecuted for his faith.
When asked by Judge Eileen Roberts if he would abide by the order, Burke said: ‘I cannot do that. I go back to jail as a law-abiding citizen of the state always. But God first.’
