Christy Burke is a Dublin city councillor and former member of Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...

. After winning a seat in the 2009 local election, he left the party 3 days after winning the seat as a Sinn Féin candidate, leading to criticism by Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Aengus Ó Snodaigh is an Irish Sinn Féin politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South Central constituency since May 2002, and is party spokesperson for Housing, Justice, Equality and Human Rights, and International Affairs.-Early and private life:A Dubliner and Irish language...

 that Sinn Féin had promoted him in the campaign as its longest serving councillor.

In the early 1980s he was released from jail after being jailed for IRA

Provisional Irish Republican Army

The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...

 membership.

He was involved in anti-illegal drug activism in Dublin and criticised the Garda Síochána

Garda Síochána

, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...

 for their treatment of anti-illegal drug activists.

In 1986 he was jailed along with Tony Gregory

Tony Gregory

Tony Gregory was an Irish Independent politician and a Teachta Dála for the Dublin Central constituency from 1982 to 2009.-Early life:...

 for fourteen days for campaigning on behalf of Moore Street

Moore Street

Moore Street is a street in central Dublin, Ireland, off Henry Street, one of Ireland's main shopping streets. The famous Moore Street open air fruit and vegetable market is Dublin's oldest food market....

 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 peace talks in the 1990s and supported the ceasefires.

In 2010, the Sunday World

Sunday World

The Sunday World is an Irish newspaper published by Sunday Newspapers Limited, a division of Independent News and Media. It is the largest selling "popular" newspaper in the Republic of Ireland and is also sold in Northern Ireland .-Origins:The Sunday World was Ireland's first tabloid newspaper...

newspaper was forced by the High Court to apologise to Burke for a 2007 (pre-general election) article by sensationalist crime journalist Paul Williams

Paul Williams (Irish journalist)

Paul Williams is an Irish crime journalist and author. He previously worked for the Sunday World tabloid newspaper; he moved to the Irish News of the World before it was caught up in the News International phone hacking scandal and shut down...

 which falsely accused him of involvement with the IRA.

He was first elected to Dublin City Council

Dublin City Council

Dublin City Council is the local authority for the city of Dublin in Ireland. It has 52 members and is the largest local authority in Ireland. Until 2001, it was known as Dublin Corporation.-Legal status:...

 in 1985. He ran for the Dáil seven times in Dublin Central

Dublin Central (Dáil Éireann constituency)

Dublin Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...

without being elected.