Enoch Burke challenges his move to Castlerea Prison in court

By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association

Enoch Burke has challenged his move to Castlerea Prison, saying it “breaches” an earlier court order.

He has spent more than 600 days in prison for violating court orders instructing him not to trespass at Wilson’s Hospital School, where he used to teach History and German.

He has been embroiled in a long-running dispute with the school’s board of management stemming from an incident in 2022 when he was asked by the Co Westmeath school’s then-principal to address a student by a new name and pronoun.

Burke’s most recent spell in prison was ordered by the High Court on January 19th.

He had been released five days earlier to prepare for a case against an appeals body due to review his dismissal from Wilson’s Hospital School, but the next day appeared back at the school and passed its gates.

On Wednesday, Burke appeared before the High Court via video link from the Co Roscommon prison where he said he was moved on Sunday.

He said his relocation from Dublin was a breach of the order made on January 19th, which stated he be brought to Mountjoy Prison “until further order of the High Court”.

Before the issue of Burke’s location was raised, he and Mr Justice Brian Cregan had a heated exchange about the jailing of Burke’s sister and mother for contempt of court earlier in the day.

Burke told Cregan “You’ll give an account to God”, and accused him of “mocking God”.

And Cregan repeatedly told Burke “don’t threaten me” and told him: “I did not mock God at all”; adding “don’t even try to pretend” that was the case.

During the morning’s hearings Cregan asked several times for Burke’s microphone to be muted.

When discussing the matter of his relocation to Castlerea Prison, Burke said the judge was “Perfectly unconcerned by a breach of court order”, to which Cregan replied: “Of course I’m concerned by the breech of court order.”

Rosemary Mallon, barrister for the school’s board of management, said she was “completely unaware” of the decision to move Burke, and she had only been aware of what she “has read in newspapers and heard in court”.

On Monday, after Burke was relocated, his brother Isaac Burke posted on the social media site X, saying Enoch was moved “without notice or warning”, adding: “He wasn’t told what was happening, where he was going, or given any reason for this.”

Cregan scheduled a further hearing for March 10th on the matter.