In a post on social media, the Burkes have alleged that An Post threatened to cease delivering to their home in Castlebar, Co. Mayo.
However, it is understood An Post had given the Burkes the option of installing a postbox at the end of their drive, so they don’t have to see the ‘offending’ van, which bears the Irish word ‘Bród’ (‘Pride’), the words ‘Delivering with pride’ and rainbow flag colours.
An Post has said it has a longstanding relationship with Pride, supporting the LGBT+ movement, and that its Pride vans reflected that support.
Enoch Burke, who has twice been imprisoned for contempt of court, famously objected to his former school’s demand that he address a transitioning student by a new name and the pronoun ‘they’.
He said his Christian belief only recognises two genders, male and female, and that he cannot condone ‘transgenderism’.
On his social media page, Mr Burke has penned an extensive statement, under the heading: ‘An Post threatens to cease postal delivery to Burke home due to our objection to LGBT campaign.’
He explained: ‘In early June our post began to be delivered to our home in a large post van which was wrapped in LGBT colours. The van has the Irish word “Bród” (“Pride”) prominently displayed on it, accompanied by the words “Delivering with pride”.
‘At the earliest opportunity Seán Burke [Enoch Burke’s father] spoke to our postman and conveyed that the LGBT promotional branding was offensive to him.
‘On July 26 we received a legal letter from Paul Crampsie, Operations Manager for An Post, informing us that our normal postal service had been suspended. We were informed that for the following two weeks our mail was to be collected at a postal depot almost five miles from our home.
‘The letter informed us that if a post box was not installed at the entrance to our property on the side of the road within two weeks, all our postal service would be withdrawn and any mail addressed to our property would be undeliverable and returned to sender.’
He said his father had responded to the letter, stating that the Bród branding was ‘not inclusive but offensive’.
Mr Burke said the suggestion that the family’s postal service could be withdrawn if they did not install a letter box was ‘monstrous’.
‘What it meant is that because we objected to a public body, An Post, forcing an LGBT campaign onto our property, we would be treated like second class citizens, or worse,’ he maintained.
‘We would be required to pick up our post like a criminal in some depot miles away, and if we did not comply with the sanctions imposed we simply would not receive our post.’
However, he confirmed that the family’s postal service had since resumed. The same statement has also been shared by Mr Burke’s brother, Josiah.
David McRedmond, chief executive of An Post, replied to the post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
He said: ‘Bród is the word that comes to mind when I think of An Post’s brilliant employees: postmen/women, sorting staff, management, union colleagues, working together to get parcels to you wherever you live, and whenever. I could not be prouder than to lead this company.’