MEP Maria slams Burke website on her ahead of poll
Fine Gael representative Walsh fears ‘ sad’ targeting for European elections
A WEBSITE set up by Enoch Burke targeting Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has been “updated” ahead of June’s European elections.
The site made repeated reference to the fact the former Rose of Tralee is a member of the LGBT community.
Speaking exclusively to the
Irish Mirror at the European Parliament in Strasbourg,
Ms Walsh, an MEP for the
Midlands-North-West constituency, said “no doubt, they will play a part in the upcoming
European elections”.
She also discussed how scrutiny of politicians has become“intense” and
“unrealistic”.
Burke and his family have hit headlines in the last number of years following school teacher Enoch’ s imprisonment for refusing to purge contempt of court.
He was suspended on full pay from Wilson’s Hospital School in Co Westmeath in 2022 for refusing a request to identify a student by a new name and they/ them pronouns.
He continued to attend the school and it went to the court to obtain an order keeping him away.
He was released from prison in December
2022, but was sent back in September 2023 as he continued to show up to the premises.
In the lead- up to the
2019 elections, Burke established a website criticising Ms Walsh’s candidacy.
He said she was
“woefully unqualified to represent the people of Midlands- North- West in the
European Parliament” as she had“little or no political experience ”.
Standards In
Public Office returns for the 2019 European Election show Enoch and Josiah Burke spent € 868.72 on the website and advertising for it on social media.
Enoch Burke’s website also said that Ms Walsh was “primarily known for two things”, which included her work as an “LGBT activist and her winning of the Rose of Tralee in 2014”.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Ms Walsh stated that she expects to be targeted by the Burkes ahead of June’s European elections.
She also referenced an incident on Christmas Eve in 2023 that saw members of the Burke family post a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, that saw them approach Fine Gael TD Alan Dillon in a supermarket.
The video showed Deputy Dillon leaving the store in Castle bar, Co Mayo, after being confronted by members of the family.
She said: “In 2019, we saw a famous Mayo family – who I have never liked to give credit to in articles because, unfortunately, they have taken up enough of our air waves being antiLGBTI and anti- women – they have a website dedicated to me.
“It was designed in 2019 and I have recently seen that information has been updated. So, no doubt, they will play a part in the upcoming European elections, which is sad. We’ve seen what happened with Deputy Alan Dillon in Mayo on Christmas Eve.”
The website called “Maria Walsh for Europe” still refers to the European Elections held in May 2019.
There appears to be no mention of the upcoming elections this June. The Irish Mirror has contacted the
Burkes for comment.
It was designed in 2019 and I have recently seen that information has been updated MIDLANDS- NORTH- WEST MEP MARIA WALSH ON WEBSITE
news@ irishmirror. ie