Enoch Burke tells Catherine Connolly he is a victim of her ‘gender ideology’

Enoch Burke has interrupted presidential hopeful Catherine Connolly to tell her he is a “victim” of her “gender ideology”.

The former teacher approached her as she stepped up to deliver a speech in Limerick on Saturday afternoon and asked her: “Do you have any respect for religious beliefs?”

He claimed: “My life has been turned upside down because my religious beliefs are being taken from me.

“I am a victim because of your gender ideology.”

Members of his family, including his mother Martina, were with him during his protest which interrupted the event being held by Palestine solidarity activists in Bedford Row

The Burke family have been involved in previous demonstrations and legal disputes after the suspension of Mr Burke from his job as a teacher.

He has spent more than 500 days in prison for contempt of court for refusing to stay away from Wilson’s Hospital School where he worked.

The dispute stemmed from incidents over a request from the school’s then-principal to address a student by a new name and the pronoun “they”.

Mr Burke was separated from Ms Connolly by her supporters, who attempted to drown out his comments by chanting “free Palestine”.

She was on the campaign trail in Clare and Limerick on what her team described as a “Super Saturday day of action”.

They said volunteers and supporters spent the day “canvassing in towns, villages and city centres across the country”.

Ms Connolly called on voters to “make their voices heard”, adding: “Your vote is your voice. Use it.”

It was a similar message from businessman Sean Gallagher, who said he was “concerned to hear some rumours that people are considering not voting and I think we need more people to come out.”

However he was endorsing Ms Connolly’s rival for the Aras, Heather Humphreys.

He joined the Fine Gael candidate at Blanchardstown Shopping Centre in Dublin as she met shoppers and supporters.

Mr Gallagher said of his former party colleagues: “I’m also calling on my friends in Fianna Fail, and indeed Micheal Martin and the senior Fianna Fail leadership, to now in this last week to come out and support their former ministerial colleague and coalition partner, who shares the same values and policies that are aligned with Fianna Fail.”

The ex-Dragons’ Den star ran for president twice, in 2011 and 2018.