Mayo Coroner responds to Jemima Burke's "Scum of this Earth" video

"She's a vile person. Scum is vile."

On Friday last, a video featuring Mayo Coroner Pat O’Connor behaving in a questionable manner was released on social media. The video showed Pat O’Connor telling Jemima Burke to ‘mind her own bloody business’ as she filmed him while asking him if he was ‘directing Gardai about her rights’ on Davitt Place, Swinford, Co Mayo.

The Burkes are a staunchly religious family from Castlebar, Co Mayo. They regularly appear at public events to tackle politicians with robust questions about the ongoing incarceration of Jemima’s brother Enoch Burke, currently in Mountjoy Prison over what he describes as his ‘refusal to comply with Transgender ideology.’

Shortly after this exchange with Jemima Burke outside Swinford Courthouse, the Coroner turned directly to her camera and told Ms Burke that she was ‘the scum of this earth.’

Within hours, Ms Burke, of Castlebar, Co Mayo, was arrested, charged and convicted of a public order offence. Earlier today, speaking to this Substack Mr O’Connor had this to say:

“She’s a vile person, scum is vile, she’s a vile person to be doing what she is doing. She is part of a conspiracy of Burkes who are doing it and of course it doesn’t look good but if they dish it out they should be able to take it as well.

“In hindsight whether or not I should have said it, I don’t feel one bit wrong having said it to her because I think somebody had to take her on because she was attempting to interfere with the process of a very difficult and sensitive and emotional inquest on a day when 35 witnesses had given evidence.”

Footage from Jemima Burke’s video shows Coroner Pat O’Connor speaking to Gardai at Davitt Place, Swinford.

In attempting to shed some light on events that took place in Swinford last Thursday, (June 20) I contacted the Garda Press Office, Coroner Pat O’Connor, Irish Independent journalist Eavan Murray and the Burke family. At the time of publication only the Coroner had responded and as such, for the purposes of being as fair as possible to all parties, I have transcribed the interview below.

To clarify my own position, I was taken aback by the Coroner’s behaviour in the video, curious over the circumstances of the court case and why only one media outlet (Irish Independent) reported the arrest and conviction of Jemima Burke. In the video posted on X, the Burkes make a number of allegations. A Garda is seen telling Jemima Burke she has no right to film, which is not true.

I opened the interview with Pat O’Connor expressing my concern about groupthink in Irish mainstream media which I believe is a destructive force in journalism.

LR: “It’s something that bothers me and I think it’s an issue and it’s something that’s pertaining to the case against the Burkes in general. Granted they may invite it through their controversial behaviour but I was concerned by what they posted on Twitter (on Friday.) Did you see that video?”

POC: “I saw it yes I did because it was brought to my attention. It’s important to get it into context, the whole matter. You probably are aware that the Burkes, particularly Jemima Burke, who claims to be a journalist, and Martina Burke and Joshua Burke were instrumental and involved in the Sally Maaz case some time ago and they had all sorts of allegations about the hospital and they made a formal complaint to the Gardai about the girl having been murdered in the hospital and anyway that’s in the past but they have clearly some sort of vendetta against Mayo University Hospital and the staff members there so that’s just by way of general background.”

In May 2020, Jemima Burke, broke the story of Sally Maaz, who was admitted to a covid ward at Mayo University Hospital, despite testing negative for covid.

Burke, a journalism graduate, was subsequently asked to leave a Department of Health press conference after questioning former Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan on the circumstances of the death of Sally Maaz, who died at Mayo University Hospital (MUH). The current Taoiseach, Simon Harris was Minister for Health at the time.

The following exchange took place between Ms Burke and Mr Holohan at the press briefing:

“Can you confirm that if a patient presents to the emergency ward, which is what happened in this case, can you confirm that a patient who has not tested positive for covid 19 will not be put into a covid 19 ward. Can you confirm that.”

“Eh, what I’m explaining to you are the arrangements that are in place…It remains the possibility that even though…”

“It’s a yes or no answer Mr Holohan.”

Ms Burke was subsequently ejected for continuing this line of questioning but before this, her microphone was turned off. Despite this, she can be heard saying:

“These people are voiceless once they are in there (hospital). They are cut off from their families…”

Speaking today, Coroner Pat O’Connor outlined the background of the inquest into the death of Patrick Rowland, which took place in Swinford on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday last week in order for 35 witnesses to be heard. On Wednesday afternoon, Jemima Burke took a seat in the public gallery and was taking notes, the Coroner said.

“She appeared in court, she’s entitled to attend, I’ve never made any bones about that, the public are entitled to attend,” the Coroner said.

Thursday was the final day of the hearing and Mr O’Connor said he started the proceedings at 9am in order to deal with the final 14 witnesses. That morning, as a MUH staff member was giving evidence, Ms Burke asked that the witness speak up because she could not be heard.

“She said, I can’t hear this witness, she should speak up, I want to take notes. I asked her who she was, so that it was on the record for the family of the deceased, and she identified herself as a member of the public who was entitled to be at the inquest. She then interrupted a second time and the guards went over and spoke to her and she did in fairness remain quiet for the rest of that morning.”

At about 1.15pm the court rose for lunch and the Coroner exited the northern door of the courthouse. There are two entrances to Swinford courthouse, one with a ramp which is the door more commonly used to access the building.

POC: “I came out that (northern) door, I wasn’t trying to hide from anybody and as I came out the door I noticed to my right that Jemima Burke was aggressively harassing two if not three of the medical staff of Mayo University Hospital who had given evidence earlier, making allegations about them and the way they had apparently covered up her allegation of carelessness in dealing with this man.”

“So I just walked out the door, she came up to me with her smartphone about two feet away from my face and started making allegations about me covering up for the hospital. At that stage, a male staff member came over to me and said, this woman has taken photographs of me, of my car and my number plate and has been harassing me, what can I do. I said, we’ll go down to the Gardai and mention it. So I went down to the two Gardai, there was a sergeant and the investigating Garda and mentioned it to them and with that Jemima Burke came up behind me and said ‘are you directing Gardai to do something’ and I said ‘mind your own bloody business.’ I shouldn’t have used the word ‘bloody.’

“Then I turned and walked down the street with an intern and a Garda sort of accompanying me. All the way down the street she was within two to three feet of me and had the smartphone in my face, making all sorts of comments about, again, my covering up for the hospital and saying, effectively, ‘the County Coroner is covering up for the hospital’ and ‘you won’t be a bully boy to the people of Mayo, your tactics won’t work’ and allegations of that nature.”

Jemima Burke is heard on the video she recorded as she walked alongside the Garda and the Coroner saying:

“I think it’s a very sad day when the Garda is saying I don’t have a right (to film). We do have rights, the people of Mayo, to the truth Patrick O’Connor. And you won’t be a bully to the people of Mayo. Your bully-boy tactics won’t work.”

POC: “I didn’t say anything at all; I just marched down the street. But then as I was about to cross the street to my office she made some other allegations and she also introduced the Sally Maaz inquest that I had dealt with two years ago and she said I’d covered up effectively for the hospital and just before I crossed the road I looked at her and I said ‘you are the scum of the earth’ and I just walked across to my office for lunch.”

As the Coroner entered his offices across the street, Jemima Burke called across the street to him and said:

“You will stand before God Mr O’Connor and give account for your wickedness.”

She then turned the camera on Garda Padraig O’Connor saying:

“And you too guard. It’s a sad day. Shameful.”

The Garda replied:

“Don’t threaten me.”

What happened next is not clear. The Burkes give this account, posted on X:

“Minutes later Garda O’Connor informed Jemima Burke she was under arrest before snatching her phone. She was brought by Garda Car to Ballina and produced before District Court Judge Vincent Deane in a closed court at Ballina Courthouse. Mr Deane worked in conjunction with An Garda Síochána - as DPP State Solicitor for Mayo - for 15 years before the Government nominated him to the Bench in 2022.”

The Irish Independent published this report from Eavan Murray - who was in Swinford covering the Rowland inquest among other journalists - at 6.43pm on Thursday.

The following day, the story of Jemima Burke’s conviction was published at 4.44pm, just over four hours after the Burkes published their account of the story on X.

The details of the charges against Ms Burke were published as follows:

Mr O’Connor said he was unaware of the arrest of Jemima Burke until after 4pm, on Thursday, when he returned to his office after the inquest, which is due to resume on July 22 for delivery of a verdict.

POC: “I came out at about 1.50pm to return to the courthouse. I don’t know what happened on the street. Afterwards I’d heard that she was hanging around, standing, presumably waiting for me to come out but in the meantime and I can’t direct - Coroners have no powers to direct Gardai what to do, they have their own powers under the Public Order Act – apparently had come and arrested her on two public order offences, one at Davitt Place which is just outside the courthouse and one at Market Street. Again, I wasn’t aware of that.”

The Coroner concluded at Swinford Courthouse around 4pm and returned to his office on nearby Market Street.

POC: “That was it, it ended about 4 o’clock and I came back to the office and I heard that Jemima Burke had been brought to the Garda station in Ballina, she’d been charged there and as it happens there was a special district court sitting anyway and Judge Deane was there, they brought her over and charged her before the judge. Then he indicated to her that he was prepared to grant her bail, I’m not sure what the financial terms were but there was conditions two conditions, one was that she wouldn’t go near the courthouse in Swinford and number two she wouldn’t interfere with or attend the finalisation of the inquest into the deceased Patrick Rowland. She indicated to him that she was not prepared to accept those terms and – this is all hearsay – the judge said well I’ll deal with the matter now and then she protested her innocence I understand, he heard evidence from the investigating Garda and then he convicted her on one charge of public order and took the other one into account and fined her €350.

POC “In the meantime, a sister of hers, Ammi, who was with Arthur Cox and has her own track record of dealing with the courts in Dublin, appeared to represent her sister, with her mother. They went to the Garda Station in Ballina first and then came over to the courthouse in Ballina. When the judge asked her what her credentials were and she told him she’s a solicitor and he said are you a practicing solicitor and I don’t know whether she said yes or no but anyway it came across that she didn’t have a practising certificate and in those circumstances in accordance with entitle to represent a person, it has to be either a legal representative or the person themselves. So that’s where it’s at.”

This an excerpt from the Burkes describing what happened in court, which they posted on X:

“In court bail conditions were raised. The Garda confirmed that Coroner Patrick O’Connor had directed bail conditions that (1) Ms Burke would not speak to him or to any of the hospital staff who gave evidence at the inquest and that (2) Ms Burke would not attend further hearings of the inquest in question. Jemima Burke said she could not accept such bail conditions given at the direction of the Coroner. Judge Deane then proceeded immediately to trial.”

I put this to the Coroner.

LR:         The Burkes allege that you directed the bail conditions.

POC:      Yes. I had nothing whatsoever…I didn’t even know it was going on.

LR:          Okay so you say that’s not true?

POC:      It’s completely untrue. I was in the process of finalising the inquest in Swinford when all this was going on in Ballina. I didn’t know anything about it until it was all over.

LR:          It just seems unusual that the case would have gone ahead under those circumstances; there was no other witness to the case besides the Garda. Is Jemima Burke allowed to film people on her smartphone outside a court?

POC:      Well, she’s allowed to film in a public place but she’s not allowed to interfere with an ordinary citizen. She’s not allowed to interfere with me, I am an ordinary citizen. I am a coroner, I have that title but she’s not entitled to interfere with me. She’s not entitled to harass or interfere with staff at MUH by putting a smartphone within two feet of their face and asking questions and making allegations about them - as she was doing to me. Public order. In my view it is assault but she wasn’t charged with assault.

LR:          That amounts to harassment, is that your view?

POC:      Absolutely.

LR:          Putting a smartphone in somebody’s face and asking questions.

POC:      Yes.

LR:          Okay. It just seems that could be subjective. Something doesn’t sit right with me about how all this happened.

At this point I say to the Coroner that if I was in Jemima Burke’s position, being taken off the street and into a closed court session, I would find that very intimidating.

POC:      It wasn’t closed. The door to the court was open. Her mother and sister couldn’t have got in unless it was open.

LR:          The say they knocked loudly.

POC:      I don’t know. I wasn’t there so I can’t comment on that but they did get in there and they did make representations, I understand, to the Judge so allegations that the doors were closed and that in some way or other the court was held in secret without anybody around seems to me to be fanciful in the extreme. It’s doctoring the facts to suit a purpose rather than the facts as they actually are.

LR:          It’s hard to get to the facts when this is the situation. If it had been held in front of the media at least, you would have somebody else there to say what actually happened.

POC:      It wouldn’t have to be the media. There were other people there, there was the Judge who is a very experienced person, he was a state solicitor for Co Mayo, he would have considerable experience dealing with public order. There was also the district court clerk and I understand at least one if not two Gardai there. It’s not necessary for the media to be at all court cases in the country.

LR:          Okay. But the Garda does repeatedly tell Jemima Burke on the street, from her own filming, that she’s not allowed to film. But that’s not true.

POC:      Well I don’t know. In my view, she’s not allowed film in a way as to harass an ordinary citizen of the country. That’s intimidation, that’s harassment, that’s stalking. If somebody is filming you, how would you like to be walking down the street with a camera facing you? People have rights in relation to what others should do in their company.

LR:          Okay. What are those rights? I understand that, I wouldn’t like if someone did that do me, but the way I see it, this is a result of what’s happened in the media. Had the media any objectivity left I don’t think people would be driven to this, if certain journalists were doing their job.

POC:      Well that may be I don’t know. In the normal case of a high profile rape or assault or otherwise high profile case yes it’s perfectly understandable for the media wanting to take photographs and film. There’s no question of the media being in any way interfered with but when an individual who seeks to and clearly does interfere with another person, that’s assault. That’s harassment. That’s interference with their rights. Nobody has a right to interfere with another person.

“There were five or six journalists at the court all week. I have never had any objection to anyone filming outside a courthouse but I do object to somebody coming and harassing persons and shouting at them and making spurious allegations about them, to say it to nurses and care staff in a hospital that they were somehow complicit in whatever malevolence she alleges was going on in a hospital, is very wrong. People have rights. The Burkes aren’t the only people with rights in this country.

“This allegation that I somehow directed the Gardai I’ve no powers to direct the Gardai to do anything. And that I in some way or other set the terms of bail, I didn’t even know the case was going on. I was in the middle of dealing with the inquest in another courtroom so how could I direct the guards. Even if I was in a position to direct them I’d no power to do so.

LR:          Then it seems to comes back to Garda Padraig O’Connor, when she’s saying ‘I do have a right to film’ he keeps saying ‘you don’t.’ But that’s not true.

POC:      Well that’s between the guards and her. I can understand where the guard is coming from. He sees this woman harassing innocent witnesses in an important inquest and harassing ordinary citizens including myself and I’m sure his views, well I don’t know what his views were at the time, but he was there to preserve public order as a Garda.

LR:          Okay. How do you feel about saying to her that she’s the ‘scum of this earth’? I understand what you are saying about this situation but it doesn’t look great on the camera.

POC:      Well it doesn’t I’m sure it doesn’t but she’s a vile person, scum is vile, she’s a vile person to be doing what she is doing. She is part of a conspiracy of Burkes who are doing it and of course it doesn’t look good but if they dish it out they should be able to take it as well. In hindsight whether or not I should have said it I don’t feel one bit wrong having said it to her because I think somebody had to take her on because she was attempting to interfere with the process of a very difficult and sensitive and emotional inquest on a day when 35 witnesses had given evidence.”

Interview ends.

I encourage readers to watch the footage Jemima Burke posted to X and to read their version of events here. The video has clocked up almost 485,000 views.

There is information in the above interview with Patrick O’Connor that I had not known before today. That relates to the inquest into the death of Sally Maaz, which I attended and reported on for Gript.ie - before this Substack existed. I will document this in a follow up article.

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