At just 21, he was made officer in command of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) Arsenal in Bailieborough, County Cavan, on the recommendation of General Seán Mac Eoin.

[2] Burke joined the Irish Volunteers in 1917, and after two years in its ranks, during which he was promoted to officership, the General Headquarters ordered him to sever, outwardly, his connections with the organisation, which he did.

[citation needed] Upon his resignation, he was appointed officer in command of the IRA Arsenal in Bailieborough, County Cavan, on the recommendation of General Seán Mac Eoin, known as the "Blacksmith of Ballinalee".

However, a few days later, an aeroplane piloted by a British officer crash landed close to an Irish Volunteer camp and he was promptly taken prisoner.

Casualties depended on which part of the truck was hit, and on three separate occasions all fourteen Black and Tans were killed by Burke's fishhook grenades.

[2][3][4] When the Civil War broke out in 1922, Burke fought on the Republican side, and was in charge of the boycott of Drogheda on 28 June, wherein Anti-Treaty forces took over the town and blew up the railway bridge south of it, isolating it from Dublin.

[4] After his capture by the Free State forces, Burke was imprisoned in Maryborough Gaol in Portlaoise, County Laois, where he went on a hunger strike lasting twenty-three days.

[3] Like his brothers, Burke was an "extremely successful" athlete, and had many trophies as a runner, footballer and hurler with St. Mary's H.C., Con Colbert's F.C., Stars F.C., Wolfe Tone F.C., John Mitchel H.C., and the Louth county team.

[3] In 1934, Burke was elected to the Corporation of Drogheda as a Fianna Fáil candidate for the Duleek Gate Ward, and was re-elected when the council was reduced from 24 members to 12.

He asked Michael why he had sent the boys away from the wireless, to which he gave no response, following which Burke hit his brother six times, badly cutting his eye.