Three Burke family members banned from attending court in person
Three members of Enoch Burke’s family have been banned from attending court hearings relating to the former schoolteacher’s continuing litigation.The order came after a High Court judge said their “extraordinary and repeated interruptions” of proceedings and “attempts to bully and intimidate” the court and their opponents was an “affront to the administration of justice”. Judge Brian Cregan on Wednesday made an order banning Enoch Burke’s mother Martina and his siblings, Isaac and Ammi, from attending hearings of the teacher’s dispute with his former workplace, Wilson’s Hospital School, and other related litigation that the former schoolteacher is involved in. In a judgment, Cregan rejected submissions made by the three Burkes and said he was satisfied the court had the power to exclude them from attendance in court over their disruptive behaviour. READ MOREAbout 150 women turned away for private care by National Maternity Hospital consultantsEdenderry Garda station closed after gardaí become unwell while processing seized vapesIf you think public sector workers have it better, that’s because we doIran war: Houthis claim strikes on two Saudi tankers as US attacks on Iran widenThe judge said he had lost count of incidents when he directed the three Burkes not to interrupt hearings, directed they leave the courtroom, and directed gardaí to remove them when they did not comply with the order to leave. “The behaviour of the Burkes is indefensible and unacceptable in a court of law. Their behaviour is an affront to the administration of justice and will not be tolerated any longer by the court,” the judge said. The Co Westmeath school suspended – and later dismissed – Enoch Burke over his conduct towards the then-principal Niamh McShane at a school religious event in June 2022.The confrontation arose in circumstances where McShane had earlier requested teachers to address a student by a new name, and with the pronouns “they” and “them”. Enoch Burke, an evangelical Christian, has maintained that this request went against his religious beliefs.When he continued to trespass at the school following his suspension, the school sought court orders banning him from the premises. Burke has continuously breached the order banning him from the school.Burke was formally dismissed from his position for gross misconduct after a Disciplinary Appeal Panel (Dap) in May said his challenge to his dismissal failed. Burke is challenging that decision. The judge made an order prohibiting the three Burkes from attending in person at future hearings in any case involving Enoch Burke in his dispute with Wilson’s Hospital School, the Dap, the Minister for Education, members of the disciplinary panel of the Teaching Council and any litigation related to the dispute.In opposing the judge’s order to ban them from court, Isaac, Ammi and Martina Burke made written submissions, claiming they required details of the disruption alleged against them to properly defend themselves.The judge rejected this argument. “The idea that these three members of the Burke family are not aware of the conduct which is the subject matter of this decision is simply ridiculous,” he said. The judge said that on almost every occasion Enoch Burke’s litigation came before him since last October, the family have sought to interrupt proceedings, describing the disruption as “co-ordinated and concerted”. “I have never experienced anything like the constant level of interruption, shouting, roaring and deliberate disruption of court proceedings by these three individuals since October 2025,” he said.He said it was clear the three Burkes are attempting to “bully and abuse” lawyers for their opponents in court, and “bully and intimidate” judges. He said their behaviour wasted court time and Garda resources. The Burkes also argued the court did not have the power to ban them, and that they had a right to attend court, referencing the constitutional provision that justice be administered in public. With reference to Supreme Court authorities, the judge said he was satisfied the court had the power, “in order to ensure the proper administration of justice, to exclude certain individuals from the court in respect of any cases in which Mr Enoch Burke is either plaintiff or defendant”. Addressing the constitutional right argument, the judge said this provision “does not give any individual member of the public the entitlement to cause enormous disruption to the case before the court, or to shout at judges, and at opposing counsel”. The judge refused an application by Isaac Burke for a stay on the order banning them from court. He claimed the judgment was “unprecedented”, with no clear basis in law identified for the making of the order. He submitted that the judge breached fair procedure by not providing particulars of the disruptive incidents. The judge said it was the behaviour of Isaac, Ammi and Martina Burke that was unprecedented. Enoch Burke is due to move an application next week for permission to bring a challenge against a Disciplinary Appeals Panel decision dismissing his appeal to his dismissal from his teaching post.
