Christy Burke Politician
Christy Burke is an independent Dublin City Councillor and current Lord Mayor of Dublin.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.In the early 1980s he became involved in local politics. He was involved in anti-illegal drug activism in Dublin, particular in Concerned Parents Against Drugs, and criticised the Garda Síochána for their treatment of anti-illegal drug activists. He was first elected to Dublin City Council in 1985.In 1986 he and Tony Gregory were jailed for fourteen days for campaigning on behalf of Moore Street traders.In 1996 he was awarded £7,500 for distress caused by false statements after a member of the Special Branch had warned Burke he was in danger of being assassinated.He was involved in negotiations during the Northern Ireland peace process in the 1990s and supported the IRA ceasefires.After winning a seat for Sinn Féin in the 2009 local 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 2007 (pre-general election) article by crime reporter Paul Williams which falsely accused him of involvement with the IRA.He ran for the Dáil seven times in Dublin Central but was not elected. In 2014, he was elected as Lord Mayor of Dublin.