Jailed Irish teacher Enoch Burke will not be released for Christmas this year, the High Court said on Wednesday — breaking with previous occasions when he was temporarily freed during holiday period despite refusing to purge his contempt.
Mr Justice Brian Cregan told the court he did not intend to release Burke for Christmas or Easter, questioning why earlier judges had permitted holiday releases while Burke continued to defy court orders. A review date has been set for March 3rd, though Burke retains the option to purge his contempt at any time.
The judge also ordered that Burke be brought in person to a reconstituted disciplinary appeals panel on December 13th, where he is challenging his dismissal from Wilson’s Hospital School. Burke was suspended in 2022 after refusing to address a transgender student by their chosen name and pronouns, which he argues violated his religious and constitutional beliefs.
In court, Burke once again clashed with the judge — this time over the meaning of words such as “baleful” and “stalking”. Burke attempted to present dictionary definitions to challenge the judge’s earlier written remarks describing him as a “baleful and malign presence” and “an intruder, stalking the school”.
However, Mr Justice Cregan rejected Burke’s submission, noting that he did not provide definitions from the authoritative Oxford English Dictionary, but instead from “Oxford Languages.” “One needs to be more intellectually rigorous,” the judge said.
Despite previous hearings being disrupted by members of the Burke family, the courtroom remained calm on Wednesday. Burke was escorted in by prison officers, with his father and brother in attendance.
The judge reserved his decision on whether to amend the language in the earlier judgment and awarded legal costs of the day’s hearing against Burke.
He also made a small adjustment to a prior ruling involving a potential criminal contempt referral to the Attorney General, adding that he hoped for a decision within two weeks. If the Attorney General declines, the court may proceed independently.