In a defiant stand for religious freedom, Irish teacher Enoch Burke returned to Wilson’s Hospital School on January 15, 2026, just a day after his temporary release from Mountjoy Prison. The Evangelical Christian educator, jailed for refusing to use a transitioning student’s preferred pronoun “they,” breached a High Court injunction barring him from the premises, risking re-imprisonment.
Burke, a German and history teacher, arrived around 9:15 a.m., briefly passing security before being stopped. He remained outside in freezing conditions for hours, telling journalists: “I’m coming here to do a day’s work, that’s what I’ve always done. I should never have been in prison in the first place, this is my workplace, this is where I teach.”
He rejected the court’s conditions, insisting it was his duty to report for work. The saga began in 2022 when Burke objected to the school’s transgender policy on biblical grounds, arguing it violated his constitutional rights. Since then, he’s faced multiple jail terms totaling 550 days and €225,000 in fines for contempt. Released conditionally on January 14 to prepare a legal challenge against his dismissal appeal—deemed “substantive” by the judge—Burke ignored warnings against returning.The High Court was notified, with the school poised to seek his recommittal.
A judge indicated an urgent hearing later that day. Conservatives hail Burke as a hero battling the woke agenda, where progressive ideologies trample religious conscience and biological truths. This case exposes how Western courts enforce transgender mandates, eroding freedoms in Ireland and beyond. As debates over pronouns in schools intensify, Burke’s fight underscores the clash between faith and forced compliance.