Ivor Gotten

BREAKING: Shocking scenes as Enoch Burke denied justice and forced out of Appeal Hearing by prison officers Enoch Burke’s mother Martina Burke and brother Dr Isaac Burke were also removed by police. At the start of the Disciplinary Appeal Panel hearing, which is by law an “informal” hearing, Enoch Burke objected to the presence of a top Employment Barrister as well as a Solicitor from a major Dublin law firm. Despite Enoch Burke’s repeated objections, the Chair of the Disciplinary Appeals Panel, Claire Callanan said to Mr Burke: “We may be wrong and you may be right but we are going ahead nonetheless.” Barrister Barra Faughnan BL and Solicitor Fiona Sheil of Mason Hayes & Curran Solicitors were acting for Wilson’s Hospital School at the hearing in Athlone today. The presence of lawyers at such an appeal is contrary to settled law and Department of Education procedures for dealing with appeals. Enoch Burke has now spent over 650 days behind bars after refusing to use they/them pronouns for a student. These are the third Disciplinary Appeal Panel proceedings in relation to Enoch Burke that have ended in shambles.

BREAKING: Enoch Burke to face THIRD Disciplinary Appeal Panel after High Court refuses to halt proceedings Teacher Enoch Burke has spent over 650 days in prison after refusing to refer to a male student using the “they” pronoun. On Wednesday of this week Enoch Burke sought an extension of time from the Court of Appeal to appeal the judgment of Judge Alexander Owens in 2023 upholding his suspension. This application follows serious developments in recent days, including a Department of Education statement issued in January this year that there is “no legal obligation” on schools to use “preferred pronouns” of students. In particular the Court of Appeal must address the issue of whether the instruction by Principal Niamh McShane to use the “they” pronoun for a male student was lawful. Today High Court Judge Micheal O’Connell (appointed in 2026) refused to grant an injunction restraining the Disciplinary Appeal Panel proceedings pending the outcome of the Court of Appeal case. Enoch Burke must now go before this panel while the key issue of his case — whether the instruction of Principal Niamh McShane to use the “they” pronoun for a male student was lawful — has not been ruled upon by the Court of Appeal. This is a travesty of justice.