Enoch Burke: Jailed teacher’s dad disrupts taoiseach’s campaign

Enoch Burke has been in Mountjoy Prison in Dublin since September 2023 after refusing to comply with court orders not to attend the school where he worked.

He was suspended by Wilson’s Hospital School in County Westmeath in August 2022 after he confronted his then-principal in public at a school event in June – Mr Burke objected to addressing a student who was transitioning gender with a new name and using the “they” pronoun.

After he was suspended, he continued to turn up for his timetabled hours and so a court injunction was put in place to try to stop him from doing so.

After he breached the court order he was jailed in September 2022 and although he was released three months later he was jailed again in September 2023 for breaching another court order.

Speaking between his visit to Castlebar and Westport, the taoiseach said it would take “an awful lot to disrupt my energy”.

“I certainly enjoyed continuing to talk to people in Castlebar, calling into cafes, calling into shops, getting out the message,” he said.

Mr Harris later called for gardaí (Irish police) to investigate the incidents.

BBC News NI has approached gardaí for comment.