Enoch Burke says prison is a 'horrible place' as he again turns up to ...

Teacher Enoch Burke has described prison as a “horrible place” as he returned to Wilson’s Hospital School in Co Westmeath today, in breach of a High Court order.

Aware of the risks of returning to Mountjoy Prison, where he previously spent more than 400 days for contempt, he said he “has to do what’s right”.

The Castlebar native was previously jailed for defying a court order to stay away from the private boarding school in Multyfarnham and was released in June, despite refusing to comply with the order, as the school was on break.

Last month, the High Court rejected his bid for a permanent injunction to prevent his exclusion from the school.

Nonetheless, he appeared at Wilson’s Hospital on Thursday during an induction day for first-year students.

[ Enoch Burke turns up at Wilson’s Hospital School despite High Court orderOpens in new window ]

Asked why he had returned, Mr Burke said “this is the place for me to be”.

“I have a job here, I’m employed here, I work here, and the only reason the school and the courts are denying me my rights is because I said I would not call a young boy a girl,” he said.

“It’s now two years since August 2022, and the courts in this country are refusing to give people their rights. That’s a serious situation where we have judges not upholding the Constitution.”

When asked whether he was fearful of returning to Mountjoy, Mr Burke stated that he has to do what he feels is right.

“Obviously, prison is a terrible place; nobody wants to go to prison, but I have to do the right thing and stand up for what’s right,” he said.

“I’m obliged to stand up for my rights, the rights of everyone in this country, and this is something that is manifestly wrong.”

Mr Burke, an evangelical Christian from Castlebar, Co Mayo, had earlier come into conflict with school management over his refusal to address a student by a different name and use “they/them” pronouns.

He was initially suspended and then sacked in January of last year. Following his suspension, he began showing up at the gates of the school in protest.

This led to the school board applying for an injunction compelling him to stay away from the property.

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