A teacher in Ireland is back in court fighting for his right to follow his religious beliefs, and a judge is now vowing to keep him in jail through Christmas.
Enoch Burke says he was fired from his position at Wilson's Hospital School in 2022 after Principal Niamh McShane demanded he use the "they/them" pronoun for a male student. Burke says he refused, was subsequently suspended, and later dismissed.
Burke has fought the decision not only in court, citing that it violated his constitutional rights and religious beliefs, but he has, on several occasions, attempted to return to the school grounds to teach.
"I have a right to work. I'm on the payroll. I'm a teacher of German history," he recently told the Irish Mirror in August. "Teachers are being instructed to teach this and to tell children something that they believe is wrong and that they know is wrong. This isn't just about me. It's happening all around the country and it's wrong. And it's my responsibility to do what's right."
According to several reports, the school obtained a court injunction prohibiting Burke from attending the school in the days following his dismissal.
So far, Burke has spent 500 days in prison for repeatedly "breach(ing) court orders directing him not to trespass on school property," a November 18 ruling by Ireland's High Court cited.
Burke was first jailed in 2022 and told that he would face a fine of 700 euros or $800 a day for each time he defied the order and turned up at the school. That amount later increased to 2,000 euros or $2,300. He currently owes the Courts Service of Ireland more than 225,000 euros, Reuters reports.
Burke has fought the charges tooth and nail saying he has every right to still show up to the school as he is being paid a teacher's salary from the Department of Education and Youth, pending an appeal before the Disciplinary Appeals Panel.
He contends he is being punished for his faith-based belief that there are only two genders: male and female.
In a timeline posted to his X account, Burke shares that in 2023, when he first appealed his case, the court ruled "'there is no evidence whatsoever' 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."
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 teacher Enoch Burke use the “they/them” pronoun for a male student.… pic.twitter.com/yIjec395XQ
— Enoch Burke (@EnochBurke) December 6, 2025
Burke contends that the claim is "blatantly false" because the principal's disciplinary report shows it was the basis of his suspension. In 2025, a second court of appeals acknowledged the fact that "Enoch Burke's views on transgenderism and his objection to the Principal's instruction were central to why he was suspended and dismissed." However, the second court of appeals refused to "acknowledge that the findings of the first Court of Appeal were wrong."
In his most recent court appearance last week, a High Court judge ruled that Burke is to remain in prison over Christmas until he admits that he has been in contempt of court.
"You will now be treated like every other person engaged in contempt of court and breaches of contempt of court," said Mr. Justice Brian Cregan.
The judge commented during the proceedings that Burke had "a baleful and malign presence – an intruder, stalking the school, its teachers and its pupils." He added that there was also a level of "verbal aggression, unregulated anger and lack of self-control" making him a "potential danger to pupils and teachers of the school," the Irish Times reports.
Burke, who is representing himself, requested that those comments be deleted from the court records. In a note later posted to X, he explained that a stalking offence under Irish criminal law carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
"It is a matter of the utmost gravity that a High Court judge would recklessly toss such an accusation against a young man without a shred of evidence to back it up," wrote Burke on X.
However, Cregan refused, saying, "One needs to be more intellectually rigorous if you are asking me to set it aside."
During a late November hearing, Cregan reportedly refused to give judgment in Burke's case while his brother, Isaac Burke, and his father, Sean, were in the courtroom.
"This is Ireland in 2025 - 'justice' is being done behind closed doors, contrary to the constitutional guarantee that justice be administered in public," Burke wrote on X.
And in his December court appearance, Cregan told Burke he and his family would be kicked out if there was any interruption from family members.
The judge awarded the legal costs of the hearing against Burke and agreed to a minor amendment to a previous judgment about requesting the Attorney General to bring criminal contempt proceedings against Burke and other members of his family, The Irish Times reports.
Burke is now appealing to the Supreme Court to correct a judgment issued by the Court of Appeal. He is also requesting that the Department of Education delay proceeding with the appeal of his dismissal.
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