Christopher Burke is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council () is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of the city of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the authority was k ...

lor and former

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...

. Burke sided with the

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

in the 1970 split in

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...

and the IRA. He served two prison sentences in Portlaoise Prison on IRA membership charges in the 1970s. By his own account, Burke rejoined the IRA upon leaving prison. In the early 1980s he became involved in local politics. He was involved in anti-

illegal drug trade The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of drug prohibition, prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibitionism, prohibit trade, exce ...

activism in Dublin, particularly with Concerned Parents Against Drugs, and criticised the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...

for their treatment of his fellow activists.Pushers Out: The Inside Story of Dublin's Anti-drugs Movement
, André Lyder, p. 32 He was first elected to

at the 1985 Dublin Corporation election. In 1986, he,

Tony Gregory Tony Gregory (5 December 1947 – 2 January 2009) was an Irish independent politician, and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Central constituency from 1982 to 2009. Early life Gregory was born in Ballybough on Dublin's Northside, the secon ...

and Joe Costello were jailed for fourteen days for campaigning on behalf of

Moore Street Moore Street (; ) is a street in central Dublin, Ireland, off Henry Street (Dublin), Henry Street, one of Ireland's main shopping streets. The famous Moore Street open-air fruit and vegetable market is Dublin's oldest food market. The market t ...

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

Northern Ireland peace process The Northern Ireland peace process includes the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of the Troubles, the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, and subsequent political develop ...

in the 1990s and supported the IRA ceasefires. After winning a seat for Sinn Féin in the 2009 Dublin City Council election, he left the party three days later, leading to criticism from Aengus Ó Snodaigh that Sinn Féin had promoted him in the campaign as its longest-serving councillor. 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 knowing a criminal by the name of Christy Griffin, as well as accusing of him of lying about knowing Griffin. He ran for the Dáil ten times in Dublin Central from

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

until

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

but was not elected. In June 2014 he was elected

for a year. He was elected for the sixth time at the 2024 Dublin City Council election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Christy Living people Independent local councillors in the Republic of Ireland Lord mayors of Dublin Provisional Irish Republican Army members Sinn Féin local councillors in the Republic of Ireland Sinn Féin candidates in Dáil elections (post-1923) Independent candidates in Dáil elections 1948 births