Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 19 minutes ago
BREAKING: Teaching Council Inquiry against Enoch Burke deferred after legal challenge
A Teaching Council "fitness to teach" Inquiry against Enoch Burke will not proceed as planned tomorrow. The Inquiry was in relation to a complaint made against Enoch Burke regarding his presence at Wilson's Hospital School.
Yesterday, Enoch Burke was forced to initiate High Court proceedings against the members of the Panel appointed to hear the Inquiry. These are Andy Pike (Chairperson), Adrian Guinan and Clodagh O'Hara.
Andy Pike has promoted on his social media a St Patrick’s Day parade float which mocked and parodied Enoch Burke and the controversy around his suspension from Wilson’s Hospital School. Andy Pike has also promoted posts advocating to "make the world a little less binary" and criticising those who refuse to use the "they" pronoun.
Enoch Burke raised other serious issues including the recent scandal around the nomination of Claire Callanan as Chairperson of his DAP dismissal appeal hearing. Claire Callanan did not disclose that she holds a senior position in the Church of Ireland or that her husband, Senior Counsel Lyndon MacCann, is one of the most powerful men in that organisation. Wilson's Hospital School is a Church of Ireland school.
Enoch Burke submitted that this scandal must be resolved before any Teaching Council Inquiry takes place.
Today's hearing was marked by a controversy around the refusal of High Court Judge Micheal O'Connell to ask a simple question.
Under official rules, the members of the Inquiry Panel are required to "operate independently" of the Director of the Teaching Council. This is because the Director is the one who prosecutes the complaint against the teacher. The Panel is required to remain impartial between the Director and the teacher.
Surprisingly, there was no appearance in court today by the members of the Panel or anyone representing them. Instead, there was a team of Barristers and Solicitors, led by Barrister Eoghan O'Sullivan BL, acting for the Director.
Enoch Burke submitted to Judge Micheal O'Connell that there was a serious issue as to how the Director of the Teaching Council came to be in possession of his High Court injunction papers when these had been served (by order of the High Court) yesterday on the Panel members.
He requested Judge Micheal O'Connell to ask the Barrister for the Director to explain how he came to be in possession of the papers.
Judge Micheal O'Connell repeatedly refused to ask this question.
Martina Burke and Ammi Burke were asked to leave the courtroom after asking pertinent questions as to why the presence of Barristers and Solicitors for the Director was not queried by Judge Micheal O'Connell.
The Barrister for the Director eventually informed the Court that tomorrow's Inquiry will not proceed as scheduled. Instead, a preliminary hearing will take place tomorrow in which Enoch Burke will make a recusal application to the Panel members and an application that the Inquiry not take place until the scandal regarding Claire Callanan and his DAP dismissal appeal hearing is resolved.
BREAKING: Teaching Council Inquiry against Enoch Burke deferred after legal challenge
A Teaching Council "fitness to teach" Inquiry against Enoch Burke will not proceed as planned tomorrow. The Inquiry was in relation to a complaint made against Enoch Burke regarding his presence at Wilson's Hospital School.
Yesterday, Enoch Burke was forced to initiate High Court proceedings against the members of the Panel appointed to hear the Inquiry. These are Andy Pike (Chairperson), Adrian Guinan and Clodagh O'Hara.
Andy Pike has promoted on his social media a St Patrick’s Day parade float which mocked and parodied Enoch Burke and the controversy around his suspension from Wilson’s Hospital School. Andy Pike has also promoted posts advocating to "make the world a little less binary" and criticising those who refuse to use the "they" pronoun.
Enoch Burke raised other serious issues including the recent scandal around the nomination of Claire Callanan as Chairperson of his DAP dismissal appeal hearing. Claire Callanan did not disclose that she holds a senior position in the Church of Ireland or that her husband, Senior Counsel Lyndon MacCann, is one of the most powerful men in that organisation. Wilson's Hospital School is a Church of Ireland school.
Enoch Burke submitted that this scandal must be resolved before any Teaching Council Inquiry takes place.
Today's hearing was marked by a controversy around the refusal of High Court Judge Micheal O'Connell to ask a simple question.
Under official rules, the members of the Inquiry Panel are required to "operate independently" of the Director of the Teaching Council. This is because the Director is the one who prosecutes the complaint against the teacher. The Panel is required to remain impartial between the Director and the teacher.
Surprisingly, there was no appearance in court today by the members of the Panel or anyone representing them. Instead, there was a team of Barristers and Solicitors, led by Barrister Eoghan O'Sullivan BL, acting for the Director.
Enoch Burke submitted to Judge Micheal O'Connell that there was a serious issue as to how the Director of the Teaching Council came to be in possession of his High Court injunction papers when these had been served (by order of the High Court) yesterday on the Panel members.
He requested Judge Micheal O'Connell to ask the Barrister for the Director to explain how he came to be in possession of the papers.
Judge Micheal O'Connell repeatedly refused to ask this question.
Martina Burke and Ammi Burke were asked to leave the courtroom after asking pertinent questions as to why the presence of Barristers and Solicitors for the Director was not queried by Judge Micheal O'Connell.
The Barrister for the Director eventually informed the Court that tomorrow's Inquiry will not proceed as scheduled. Instead, a preliminary hearing will take place tomorrow in which Enoch Burke will make a recusal application to the Panel members and an application that the Inquiry not take place until the scandal regarding Claire Callanan and his DAP dismissal appeal hearing is resolved.
