BREAKING: BURKES RESPOND TO MEDIA LIES ON ENOCH BURKE CASE

Описание: BREAKING: BURKES RESPOND TO MEDIA LIES ON ENOCH BURKE CASE

On 16 January the Irish Times published an article by Political Editor Pat Leahy which spread the utterly false claim that schools must use the preferred name and pronouns of “transgender students.”

The recent front-page article was reporting on the new Guide released by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties entitled “Know Your Rights.”

Just days after the article was published, the Department of Education clarified what was already obvious - that there is no legal obligation upon any teacher to use a student’s preferred pronouns.

Pat Leahy and the Irish Times presented these lies as fact on the front page of a national newspaper. They are a disgrace.

The “Know Your Rights” Guide from the ICCL was legally reviewed by A&L Goodbody, a major Irish law firm. The guide contained the false claim that the Equal Status Act 2000-2018 mandates the use of a person’s preferred pronouns. This Act makes no such demand, and indeed has nothing to do with transgenderism whatsoever.
BREAKING: BURKES RESPOND TO MEDIA LIES ON ENOCH BURKE CASE
One of the first judges to address the Enoch Burke case in 2022 was Judge Eileen Roberts. Roberts upheld the suspension of Enoch Burke by Wilson’s Hospital School, and used the Equal Status Act as a cover for doing so.

It is highly significant that Judge Eileen Roberts was the Chairman of A&L Goodbody before being appointed as a High Court Judge. She had no prior experience on the bench, and Enoch Burke was one of the first cases she ever heard as a Judge.

In another recent article, published on 25 January in the Irish Examiner, Mick Clifford made the claim that Enoch Burke’s “transgression” was not that he refused to use the “they” pronoun, but rather “harassment of the school principal and associated behaviour.” This is an outrageous lie.

Principal Niamh McShane's disciplinary report made it clear that it was Enoch Burke's objection to her instruction and “non-acceptance of transgenderism” which led to his suspension.

In a judgment in July 2025, Court of Appeal Judge Mary Faherty stated: “In my view, any reasonable reader of the principal’s report would understand that the principal considered her overarching complaint against [Enoch Burke] to fall under the heading of refusal to comply with a legitimate instruction resulting in serious consequences”. Judge Faherty went on to say that the principal’s instruction was a “kernel” of this case.

Mick Clifford knows the above. Nevertheless, he used his platform on the Irish Examiner to spread malicious and defamatory lies about Enoch Burke.

In recent days others such as Ronan Mullen have jumped on the bandwagon, speaking out on how the Equal Status Act has no bearing on transgenderism, and how there is no legal obligation upon teachers to use preferred pronouns.

The fact is, however, that when Judge Eileen Roberts consigned Enoch Burke to a prison cell in 2022 and used this Act to cover her actions, Ronan Mullen did not use his position as a Senator to call her out. Why is he, a qualified barrister, only now making these statements, after three and a half years and almost 600 days of incarceration for Enoch Burke? People should not be deceived by his actions today.