Teacher Enoch Burke described prison as a “horrible place” as he returned to Wilson’s Hospital School in Co Westmeath on Friday, in breach of a High Court order, for a second day in a row.
He said he was aware his decision created the risk of him being returned to Mountjoy Prison, where he previously spent more than 400 days for contempt, but that he “has to do what’s right”.
The Castlebar man was previously jailed for defying a court order to stay away from the private boarding school in Multyfarnham and was released in June, when the school was on summer holidays, despite refusing to comply with the court order.
The High Court last month rejected Mr Burke’s application for a permanent injunction to prevent his exclusion from the school. Nonetheless, he arrived at Wilson’s Hospital on Thursday during an induction day for first-year students.
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[ Enoch Burke turns up at Wilson’s Hospital School despite High Court orderOpens in new window ]
Asked why he had returned, Mr Burke said “this is the place for me to be”.
“I have a job here, I’m employed here, I work here, and the only reason the school and the courts are denying me my rights is because I said I would not call a young boy a girl,” he said.
“It’s now two years since August 2022, and the courts in this country are refusing to give people their rights. That’s a serious situation where we have judges not upholding the Constitution.”
When asked whether he was fearful of returning to Mountjoy, Mr Burke said: “Obviously, prison is a terrible place; nobody wants to go to prison, but I have to do the right thing and stand up for what’s right.
“I’m obliged to stand up for my rights, the rights of everyone in this country, and this is something that is manifestly wrong.”
Mr Burke, an evangelical Christian, previously came into conflict with school management over his refusal to address a student by a different name and use “they/them” pronouns. He was initially suspended and then sacked in January of last year. Following his suspension, he began showing up at the gates of the school in protest.
This led to the school board applying for an injunction compelling him to stay away from the property. He was subsequently jailed for contempt after repeatedly refusing to comply with the order.
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