Enoch Burke owes 208,000 euro in fines for defying court orders
The former teacher was appearing by videolink at the High Court.
Enoch Burke owes 208,268.18 euro in fines for defying court orders to refrain from trespassing at a school in Co Westmeath.
The High Court in Dublin heard that the dismissed teacher owed a total of 273,200 euro in fines for defying various court orders issued between January 2023 and January 2026.
The court also heard he had paid back 64,931.83 euro, partly through his salary from the Department of Education being redirected and through more than 40,000 euro obtained from Mr Burke’s bank account.
The former history and German teacher was dismissed from Wilson’s Hospital School in May after a lengthy dispute with the instutition.
The row stemmed from incidents over a request in 2022 from the school’s then-principal to address a student by a new name and pronoun.
Mr Burke and his family, evangelical Christians from Co Mayo, argued the direction was unconstitutional and went against his right to express his religious beliefs.
The school was granted an order restraining him from attending the school while he was suspended and dismissed, but he continued to attend in breach of the order, arguing that it was still his place of work.
He has been imprisoned for more than 700 days for breaching court orders not to trespass at the school.
Barrister Rosemary Mallon, representing the board of management of Wilson’s Hospital School, said it was the school’s wish that the matter “does not come before the court again” and should be adjourned generally with the option to re-enter if circumstances change.
Mr Burke, who appeared by video-link, was asked for his input and said that in May 2022 he was instructed to use the pronoun “they” by the principal of the school.
Mr Cregan said he was not addressing the issue of fines and breach of court orders, adding that he did not need the “party political broadcast”.
Mr Burke’s video feed was then placed on mute and he was seen to continue to speak animatedly.
Judge Brian Cregan said that Mr Burke had “wasted 700 days of his life in prison” and his reputation as a teacher had been “damaged” for refusing to obey court orders.
“All of this happened because of a senseless and misguided campaign to breach a court order,” Mr Justice Cregan said.
“None of this would have happened if Mr Burke had attended the school every day (as he said he had to do) but remained outside the school property and obeyed court orders.
“However, as Mr Burke has discovered, the rule of law applies to everybody, including Mr Burke.”
A matter concerning Mr Burke’s mother Martina, his sister Ammi and his brother Isaac Burke, has been adjourned until next Wednesday at 10.30am.
The judge said the Burke family had not had enough time to make submissions, but he had received their submissions in relation to another case.
Mr Burke waved his index finger on the feed when this was said, and when the judge asked for his input on a matter related to his case, he attempted to say that what the judge had said about his family “was not correct”.
Mr Justice Cregan said that the matter “concerns members of your family, not you” and that he had “no intention” of hearing him on the issue.
Mr Burke was placed on mute again and was seen continuing to speak animatedly as court proceedings continued.