Christian Teacher Released from Prison
An Irish teacher who has become one of the most closely watched figures in the country's debate over gender identity policies and religious freedom has been released from prison, though his legal fight is far from over.
Enoch Burke, an evangelical Christian and former teacher at Wilson's Hospital School in County Westmeath, has spent roughly 700 days in prison over the course of several contempt-of-court rulings tied to an ongoing dispute with his former employer.
According to Christian Today, Burke was suspended from his teaching position in 2022 after objecting to a school policy requiring staff to address a student using preferred pronouns. Burke argued that complying with the directive would violate his Christian beliefs regarding sex and gender.
The High Court has ordered the release of teacher Enoch Burke from prison.
He has spent almost 700 days in prison since September 2022 for refusing to use gender bending ideology pronouns in the classroom.
A man of integrity. pic.twitter.com/FlAoxdYQzE
— Tommy Robinson 🇬🇧 (@TRobinsonNewEra) July 1, 2026
The dispute quickly expanded beyond the school's internal policies. After Burke was suspended, Irish courts ordered him to stay away from the school campus. Burke repeatedly refused to comply with those orders, leading judges to find him in contempt of court on multiple occasions. His imprisonment has stemmed from those contempt findings rather than from his objection to the school's pronoun policy itself.
The latest chapter came when Ireland's High Court ordered Burke's release from prison.
Christian Today reported that the court concluded circumstances had changed after Burke lost his appeal challenging his dismissal for gross misconduct. According to the report, the judge determined that this development altered the legal context for evaluating whether Burke should remain imprisoned for continuing to violate the court's orders.
Although Burke has now been released, he is continuing his efforts to overturn his dismissal.
BREAKING: Enoch Burke speaks after release from prison today
Teacher Enoch Burke was released from prison this morning.
Judge Brian Cregan said he was releasing Enoch Burke from prison because the Disciplinary Appeal Panel (DAP) process, set up to hear Enoch Burke’s appeal of… pic.twitter.com/Klv86On3WD
— Enoch Burke (@EnochBurke) July 1, 2026
The Irish Times reported on July 8 that Burke has launched a fresh legal challenge aimed at reversing the decision that upheld his termination from Wilson's Hospital School.
According to the report, Burke's lawsuit names the three-member disciplinary appeals panel that reviewed his dismissal, along with the school's board of management and Ireland's Minister for Education.
Burke is asking the court to send his appeal back for a new hearing before a differently constituted disciplinary appeals panel. He is also seeking an order requiring the education minister to restore him to the Department of Education payroll, effectively reinstating his employment status.
The Irish Times noted that Burke taught at Wilson's Hospital School from August 2018 until August 2022.
Throughout the dispute, Burke has maintained that the school's policy represented more than a simple workplace directive. He has argued that requiring teachers to use preferred pronouns amounted to a demand that staff affirm beliefs about gender identity that conflict with his Christian faith. He publicly urged the school's principal to withdraw the policy before the conflict escalated into years of litigation and repeated court proceedings.
Wilson's Hospital School is affiliated with the Church of Ireland, a member of the Anglican Communion that operates independently of the Church of England.