BREAKING: Jailed Teacher Enoch Burke lodges Supreme Court Appeal
Prison guards escorted Enoch Burke to the Supreme Court in Dublin on Friday.
It is now over 3 years since Principal Niamh McShane demanded that Enoch Burke use the “they/them” pronoun for a male student.
In a shocking development in 2023, the Court of Appeal stated “there is no evidence whatever” that Enoch Burke was disciplined because of his views on transgenderism or because he objected to the Principal’s instruction to call a child by a new name and the “they” pronoun.
This was blatantly false as the Principal’s disciplinary report, which formed the basis of Enoch Burke’s suspension and dismissal, clearly showed.
One of the three judges who made this ruling was Judge Máire Whelan who was appointed to the bench in 2017 amid huge controversy. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said her appointment “stank to high heaven”. She was pushed into her position by then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
In a separate ruling in July 2025 three other judges of the Court of Appeal stated that the fact of Enoch Burke’s views on transgenderism and his objection to the Principal’s instruction were central to why he was suspended and dismissed. This ruling reflected the reality of the Principal’s report. However, the second Court of Appeal was unwilling to acknowledge that the findings of the first Court of Appeal were wrong.
Enoch Burke is now appealing to the Supreme Court to ensure that this matter is clarified and put right.
Enoch Burke has also requested that the Department of Education does not proceed with the appeal of his dismissal which is currently scheduled to be heard for next week.
Credit to : Josiah Burke