@RoscommonPeople on X, July 2, 2026
Irish teacher Enoch Burke has been ordered by the High Court to pay over €200,000 in fines following his refusal to comply with a request to use a student’s preferred pronouns and new name, in a case that has become one of Ireland’s most controversial legal battles over free speech and religious freedom. The controversy began in 2021, when Burke refused to comply with the directive of the principal of Wilson’s Hospital School that said teachers were “expected” to refer to a biologically female who had decided to ‘transition’ as “they.”
His brother, Josiah Burke, shared news of the ruling the ruling on X, writing:
“BREAKING: My brother teacher @EnochBurke has been ordered to pay almost €210,000 in fines by a High Court Judge.”
He argued that Burke’s “crime” was “refusing to accept you can be suspended from your job for not calling a child ‘they,’” adding the court decision marked “a shameful day for Ireland.”
Before the ruling was announced, Burke published a lengthy statement on X criticizing both the court proceedings and the media’s coverage of the hearing.
He accused RTÉ Legal Affairs Correspondent Orla O’Connor of omitting his arguments entirely, writing that she “failed to report one word” of what he said during the hearing.
Burke also took aim at High Court Judge Brian Cregan, claiming the judge suggested his religious beliefs belonged only “outside the gate” of Wilson’s Hospital School. Burke argued that this position contradicts Ireland’s Constitution, which guarantees “freedom of conscience and the free profession and practice of religion” to every citizen.
According to Burke, the hearing was never about determining whether the school’s demand was lawful, but only about the size of the financial penalty he would face. He argued that the court has “never dealt with the rights and wrongs” of the principal’s instruction requiring teachers to use the “they” pronoun and a new name for a student, insisting that his refusal to comply with that demand was the basis for his suspension.
Burke further claimed that Judge Cregan “has closed his eyes” to the principal’s instruction and “refused to vindicate” his constitutional rights, arguing that the court has focused on punishing him rather than examining the underlying dispute over compelled speech and religious liberty.
The teacher’s supporters point out that the High Court ruling reflects an ideologically driven legal process.