Enoch Burke’s family spotted on flight to Washington, DC

Family members of sacked Irish schoolteacher Enoch Burke were spotted on a flight bound for Washington, DC earlier today, March 11, the day before Taoiseach Micheál Martin is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House.

Enoch Burke has spent more than 500 days behind bars and is facing hefty fines for refusing to comply with a court order that he stay away from Wilson's Hospital School in Co Westmeath, where he was sacked from in 2023 following a confrontation with the school principal.

"Members of the Burke family are on my flight to Washington DC," Cuan Ó Seireadáin, a political correspondent for RTÉ's Raidió na Gaeltachta, said in a post on X this morning.

In a follow-up post, he said: "When asked about the purpose of their journey [they] refused to answer my question as to whether they have been invited or not."

While Enoch was not on Tuesday's flight to the US, it is understood three members of the high-profile Burke family, natives of Co Mayo, were.

September 2023: Ammi Burke, Enoch Burke, his father Sean Burke, mother Martina Burke, and Isaac Burke and arrive at the Four Courts in Dublin. (RollingNews.ie)

In 2022, Enoch Burke was suspended on full pay as part of a disciplinary process after he allegedly confronted the school's then-principal Niamh McShane at a school dinner two months prior.

The confrontation came after McShane emailed all staff requesting that they refer to a transgender student by their new name and preferred pronouns.

Burke, an Evangelical Christian, repeatedly objected to McShane's request. 

McShane allegedly told Burke that she would be willing to speak to him about the issues but added that the school dinner would not be an appropriate place to have the conversation.

However, Burke allegedly followed McShane and began shouting at her, prompting other people present at the dinner to stand between them to prevent Burke from continuing the confrontation.

The school obtained an injunction against Burke in August 2022 after he continued to attend the school despite being placed on administrative leave. 

Burke was subsequently jailed that September for breaching a court order that prevented him from attending the school while a disciplinary process was carried out. He also refused to purge his contempt of court. 

Burke has since spent several stints behind bars, totaling more than 500 days, for continuing to show up to Wilson's Hospital School in defiance of the court order.

Burke argues that he has been imprisoned for his religious beliefs, but several judges have rejected the notion, arguing instead that he is being imprisoned for his refusal to comply with court orders.

He was most recently released from prison in December, but Justice David Nolan doubled the daily fine Burke will face if he returns to the school grounds from €700 to €1,400.

Burke has returned to Wilson's Hospital School since his release in December and, in turn, continues to rack up daily fines, none of which he has paid.

Last week, High Court Justice David Nolan gave the Attorney General ­permission to bring an application later this month to appoint a receiver over Burke’s teaching salary, to deduct the outstanding €79,100 he owes in fines.

Despite having been sacked, Burke continues to receive his salary as he appeals his firing.

Enoch Burke's saga has caught the attention of Elon Musk, the owner of social media platform X and the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the new Trump administration.

On March 8, Musk retweeted a post on X from user @CilComLFC that claimed Enoch Burke "will be STRIPPED of his salary after refusing to use they/them pronouns for a 'transgender' student."

The claim is false. Burke's salary is not being 'stripped' because he refuses to use a student's preferred pronouns, his salary is set to be garnished to pay for his legal fines.

Fact-checking the post reshared by Musk, The Journal noted that @CilComLFC "is an active spreader of misinformation" and that "a search of X.com shows that Musk has reposted content from this account more than half a dozen times."

The Journal further found  it "notable" that the post "doesn’t mention that Burke remains on full pay despite not having taught at the school in years."

According to The Irish Examiner, Musk's recent mention of Enoch Burke led to speculation on Tuesday that he invited the Burkes to the US.

Later on Tuesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who is in Texas before traveling to Washington DC this evening, was asked if he was aware if the Burkes had been invited to any of the White House events.

"I’m not familiar with the travel arrangements of any particular family and I’m not aware of any issues around that," the Taoiseach replied, according to the PA.

"I mean, people are free to travel.”

Pressed on whether he would have an issue with the Burkes attending any of the events on his itinerary, the Taoiseach said: “I’m going to represent the Irish people on behalf of the Government of Ireland, the people of Ireland.

“I have a lot of functions on all week and that’s what I’m focused on.”