Correction 28/01/2026: The article has been amended to clarify that the school is not run by the Church of Ireland. It is an independent organisation with members of the Church appointed to its board of governors and could therefore be described as having a Church of Ireland ethos.
Enoch Burke, the evangelical teacher at the centre of a four-year trans row, is once again in prison after he was found to have breached a court order that he remain away from the school he formerly taught at.
The controversy began in May 2022 when the principal of Wilson's Hospital School, an independent school with a Church of Ireland ethos at which Burke taught, sent an email requesting that staff use 'they/them' pronouns for a trans-identifying student.
Burke objected in writing, but took things a step further at a religious service at the school by publicly opposing the move in front of staff, students and teachers.
Following the incident Burke was suspended and the school obtained an injunction barring him from the school premises. Burke continued turning up, insisting he was there to do his job, and was first jailed in September 2022 for contempt of court.
Burke was officially dismissed from the school in 2023 but continued turning up to what he described as his place of work, in contravention of court orders.
He has been jailed multiple times for continuing to show up at the school, and has racked up fines totalling more than 225,000 euros.
On Monday Burke was arrested and sent to prison yet again after returning to the school gates. In a post on X, Burke asserted that he was arrested for “refusing to affirm transgender ideology”.
Nick Park, executive director of the Evangelical Alliance in Ireland, has refuted Burke’s claims, saying that his arrests are instead the result of his “un-Christian,” “insulting” and “disruptive” behaviour.
Comedy writer Graham Linehan appeared to support Burke with his own post on X. Linehan was himself been arrested for allegedly inciting violence against trans identifying people, but was later released without charge.
Linehan said, “Ireland's police, like Ireland's journalists, know the important thing is to keep him [Burke] quiet as soon as he starts talking about the insanity of gender ideology.”
