Posted by Updated / Monday, 19 Jan 2026 13:12
Enoch Burke has been returned to Mountjoy Prison after the High Court found him in breach of a court order not to trespass at Wilson’s Hospital School in Co Westmeath.
Mr Burke was arrested outside the school this morning after a High Court order was made last Friday to arrest him and bring him before the courts again.
He appeared before Mr Justice Brian Cregan shortly after 11am to hear if he would be returned to prison less than a week since his release.
Rosemary Mallon, barrister for Wilson’s Hospital School, submitted an affidavit from school principal Noel Cunningham updating the court on events since Mr Burke’s release.
In it, he said he agreed to be interviewed for an article published in the Sunday Independent yesterday in a “misguided attempt” to give the school some good publicity, but realised it was “entirely inappropriate” for him to do so.
Mr Cunningham said that following Mr Burke’s release from prison on Wednesday, he showed up at the school on Thursday and Friday mornings and attempted to approach the building.
The court heard that a security guard stopped him but Mr Burke stood inside the boundary wall.
Watch: Enoch Burke leaves the High Court in a garda car to be returned to Mountjoy Prison
In his affidavit, Mr Cunningham said he had health and safety concerns about the situation with protestors there and cars trying to get in and out.
He said he has received complaints from parents and staff, the atmosphere has been quite unpleasant and he has had to call gardaí on two occasions.
Mr Burke accused the courts of working with the Government in denying him his constitutional rights, which Mr Justice Cregan said was a “ridiculous assertion”.
“I’m not in contempt of court, I have the utmost respect for the courts,” Mr Burke said.
The judge replied that this was “nonsense”.
Mr Burke said he was astonished at the sequence of events this morning. He said he only saw the affidavit moments before the hearing began, which has been sworn “seemingly in haste” by Mr Cunningham, he said.
Mr Burke said the article in the Sunday Independent was “comprehensive” and “extensively published” and was “all about me and my work place”.
He said the gist of the article was that the school was a happy place and everything was fine, but accused the principal of “backtracking” this morning at the insistence of his legal team.
Mr Justice Cregan asked him a number of times if he had anything to say about the trespassing at the school.
Mr Burke said he made no secret of the fact that he would be returning to the school at the hearing last week. He said he was honest and truthful about that.
Mr Justice Cregan said he was satisfied that Mr Burke has again trespassed on school grounds in “flagrant breach of the court order” and found him in breach of court.
He ordered his immediate committal to Mountjoy Prison and said he would give a written order at 2pm tomorrow.
He asked Ms Mallon to submit the Sunday Independent article as an exhibit.
Mr Burke hugged his father and brother before being escorted from court by gardaí to a waiting patrol car to return to prison.
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