Christy Burke

Christy Burke
Cllr; Christy Burke
Dublin City Councillor
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 20 June 1985
Constituency	North Inner City
Lord Mayor of Dublin
	In office; June 2014 – June 2015
Preceded by	Oisín Quinn
Succeeded by	Críona Ní Dhálaigh
Personal details
Political party	Independent ; Sinn Féin (to 2009)
Occupation	Docker

Christopher Burke is an independent Dublin City Councillor and former Lord Mayor of Dublin.[1]

Burke sided with the Provisional Irish Republican Army in the 1970 split in Sinn Féin and the IRA. He served two terms in Portlaoise Prison on IRA membership charges in the 1970s.[2]

In the early 1980s he became involved in local politics. He was involved in anti-illegal drug trade activism in Dublin, particularly with Concerned Parents Against Drugs, and criticised the Garda Síochána for their treatment of his fellow activists.[3][4] He was first elected to Dublin City Council in 1985.[5]

In 1986, he and Tony Gregory were jailed for fourteen days for campaigning on behalf of Moore Street traders.[6]

In 1996, he was awarded £7,500 for distress caused by false statements after a member of the Garda Special Branch had told Burke he was in danger of being assassinated.[7]

He was involved in negotiations during the Northern Ireland peace process in the 1990s and supported the IRA ceasefires.[6]

After winning a seat for Sinn Féin in the 2009 Irish local elections, he left the party three days later, leading to criticism from Aengus Ó Snodaigh[1] that Sinn Féin had promoted him in the campaign as its longest-serving councillor.[6]

In 2010, the Sunday World newspaper was forced by the High Court to apologise to Burke for a May 2007 article by crime reporter Paul Williams, published during the campaigning period for that year's general election, that falsely accused him of involvement with the IRA.[8]

He ran for the Dáil ten times in Dublin Central from 1982 until 2020 but was not elected. In June 2014 he was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin for a year.

References

Burke quits Sinn Féin, Patrick Logue, The Irish Times, 9 June 2009
Yates, Padraig (1985). "Chapter 14". Smack: The Criminal Drugs Racket in Ireland. Gill and Macmillan. p. 233.
Adams urges alliance on drugs, Mark Brennock, The Irish Times, 18 October 1996
Pushers Out: The Inside Story of Dublin's Anti-drugs Movement, André Lyder, p.32
Councillor Christy Burke's Profile Archived 26 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine, dublin.ie
Much respected councillor a rare Sinn Fein beast, Ciaran Byrne, Irish Independent
Burke awarded £7,500 in action against former detective garda, The Irish Times, 11 November 1996
Sunday World apologises to councillor. RTÉ. 9 November 2010.

Civic offices
Preceded by Oisín Quinn	Lord Mayor of Dublin 2014–2015	Succeeded by Críona Ní Dhálaigh

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[it-burke-quits-sinn-fein-1] Burke quits Sinn Féin, Patrick Logue, The Irish Times, 9 June 2009

[2] Yates, Padraig (1985). "Chapter 14". Smack: The Criminal Drugs Racket in Ireland. Gill and Macmillan. p. 233.

[3] Adams urges alliance on drugs, Mark Brennock, The Irish Times, 18 October 1996

[pushers-out-p32-4] Pushers Out: The Inside Story of Dublin's Anti-drugs Movement, André Lyder, p.32

[5] Councillor Christy Burke's Profile Archived 26 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine, dublin.ie

[independent-rare-beast-6] Much respected councillor a rare Sinn Fein beast, Ciaran Byrne, Irish Independent

[7] Burke awarded £7,500 in action against former detective garda, The Irish Times, 11 November 1996

[8] Sunday World apologises to councillor. RTÉ. 9 November 2010.