Enoch Burke is an Irish secondary school teacher who became widely known after a dispute with his school in 2022 over transgender issues escalated into suspensions, dismissal proceedings, court orders, and repeated imprisonment for contempt of court. His case remains in the news because he has spent more than 500 days in prison while refusing to comply with court orders to stay away from the school where he formerly worked.

Who is Enoch Burke?

Enoch Burke is an evangelical Christian and former teacher at Wilson’s Hospital School, a Church of Ireland–affiliated secondary school in County Westmeath, Ireland. He comes from a well-known religious family that has been publicly active on conservative issues in Ireland.

What started the dispute?

The dispute began in 2022 after the school asked staff to respect a transgender student’s new name and pronouns, which Burke opposed on religious grounds. Following his protests, the school placed him on paid administrative leave and began disciplinary processes, which he refused to accept.

Court orders and contempt

After he continued turning up at the school despite being suspended, the school obtained court orders directing him not to trespass on school property. Burke repeatedly ignored these orders, leading the High Court to jail him for contempt of court on several occasions since September 2022.

Is he in prison “for pronouns”?

Irish judges have explicitly stated that Burke is not being imprisoned for his religious beliefs or his views on transgender issues. Instead, the courts say he is jailed and fined because he refuses to obey lawful court orders preventing him from entering or trespassing on school property.

How long has he been in jail and what’s the latest?

By late 2025, Burke had spent over 500 days in prison across multiple committals for contempt, as he continues to refuse to “purge his contempt” by promising to stay away from the school. In December 2025, a judge ruled that he would remain in prison over Christmas and stressed he would not receive “preferential treatment” unless he agreed to obey the orders.

What about claims of a “life sentence”?

Viral posts and videos have incorrectly claimed that Burke was given a “life sentence” for refusing pronouns or for “transphobia.” Fact‑checkers and court reports clarify that he has not been sentenced to life; rather, his continued imprisonment is open‑ended contempt of court that can end whenever he agrees to comply with the orders.

His dismissal from the school

Wilson’s Hospital School moved to dismiss Burke for gross misconduct linked to his actions during and after the pronoun dispute and subsequent protests. As of December 2025, an appeals panel convened by the Department of Education was considering his challenge to that dismissal, a process that runs in parallel with the court contempt issues.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.