Christy Burke
Christy Burke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dublin City Councillor | |
| 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 | |
| Born | 1948 (age 75–76) |
| Political party | Independent Sinn Féin (to 2009) |
| Occupation | Docker |
Christy Burke (born 1948) 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 seven times in Dublin Central but was not elected. In June 2014 he was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin for a year.
References
- ^ a b Burke quits Sinn Féin, Patrick Logue, The Irish Times, 9 June 2009
- ^ Yates, Padraig (1985). "Chapter 14". Smack: The Ciminal 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, dublin.ie
- ^ a b c 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.