They were arrested at Castlerea Prison this afternoon where Enoch Burke is currently in custody.
In a statement, gardaí said: “An Garda Siochana executed a High Court order against two females in Castlerea, Co Roscommon, this afternoon, Tuesday, March 31.
“They will be brought to Mountjoy women’s prison on foot of the order of committal.
“An Garda Siochana has no further comment.”
Earlier this month, a judge ordered the imprisonment for two weeks of the mother and sister of jailed schoolteacher Enoch Burke, saying “it is long past time for the court to call a halt to this family circus”.
Mr Justice Brian Cregan imposed the sanction over the behaviour of Martina Burke, a teacher, and Ammi Burke, a trained solicitor, at a hearing on February 20 where they engaged in “shouting and roaring at the top of their voices” to the extent they had to be removed by gardaí.
The judge said he had to abandon the hearing on February 20 because of their behaviour, which plunged the hearing “into chaos”.
He said there was no defence or justification for their actions and they were clearly in contempt of court.
The judge made an order for their attachment and immediate imprisonment.
He also made an order that neither they nor Mr Burke’s brother Isaac can attend future hearings in person. He said they would be allowed watch proceedings remotely online, but would no longer be allowed to disrupt hearings.
Mr Justice Cregan said Martina Burke “believes she has the right to shout at any judge at any time”.
He said the court’s had treated the Burke family “with great forbearance” but this could not continue.
The judge said their behaviour was “a gross interference with the administration of justice”. On each and every occasion they are in court, 10 gardaí need to be present, he said.
Mr Justice Cregan said Ammi Burke was “unapologetic and defiant” about her behaviour, which he said was “disgraceful”.
“Off all of the places where law and order must be maintained, it is the courtroom itself,” the judge said.
Mr Justice Cregan said he would refer papers to the Law Society so that it could consider a disciplinary procedure.
He said it was clear members of the Burke family believed they were above the law and that the law did not apply to them.
“We live in a democracy governed by the rule of law and not a theocracy governed by the Burke family,” he said.
Although both women have been involved in numerous disturbances of court hearings in recent years, it was the first time a High Court judge exercised the court’s contempt jurisdiction against them.
Mr Justice Cregan had previously invited the Attorney General to bring contempt proceedings against them, Enoch Burke and his brother Isaac Burke, but Rossa Fanning SC decided against taking any action.
The judge also dismissed an application from Enoch Burke to have an affidavit sworn by barrister Sean Ó Longáin referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions for alleged perjury.
Mr Justice Cregan said Mr Burke was not a reliable witness.
He said the teacher accused “every single person” he disagrees with of lying and this behaviour undermined his application.
He said Mr Burke “gets the wrong end of the stick on a regular basis” and the chaos caused by him and members of his family at hearings was “mainly responsible for this misunderstanding”.
Mr Ó Longáin chaired a disciplinary appeals panel (DAP) that was to consider whether Wilson’s Hospital School was correct to dismiss Mr Burke for gross misconduct in January 2023.
However, he resigned after Mr Burke sued the panel claiming he was not afforded fair procedures, including being restricted from effectively cross examining witnesses, at a hearing last December.
Mr Burke claimed Mr Ó Longáin perjured himself in an affidavit in which he stated it was always the panel’s intention to reconvene in January. Mr Ó Longáin denies the allegation.
The teacher’s case against the DAP was dismissed on February 20 as “moot” due to the resignation of two panel members and the ineligibility of a third member from sitting on a new panel that will now have to be constituted.
Both Martina and Ammi Burke were heavily critical of the judge’s decision to dismiss the case.
Mr Burke is currently incarcerated in Castlerea Prison where he was moved to from Mountjoy.
Mr Burke continued to show up for work despite being suspended in August 2022 and dismissed five months later following public clashes with school management.
The row had its roots in a direction that teachers call a transgender child by a new name and they/them pronouns. The teacher, who is a fundamentalist Christian, refused to comply on religious grounds.