[1] Burke sided with the Provisional Irish Republican Army in the 1970 split in Sinn Féin and the IRA.

[6] In 1986, he, Tony Gregory and Joe Costello were jailed for fourteen days for campaigning on behalf of Moore Street traders.

[7] In 1996, he was awarded £7,500 for the distress caused by false statements after a member of the Garda Special Branch had told Burke he was in danger of being assassinated.

[7] After winning a seat for Sinn Féin in the 2009 Dublin City Council election, he left the party three days later, leading to criticism from Aengus Ó Snodaigh[1] that Sinn Féin had promoted him in the campaign as its longest-serving councillor.

[7] In 2010, the Sunday World newspaper was forced by the High Court to apologise to Burke for a May 2007 article by crime reporter Paul Williams, published during the campaigning period for that year's general election, that falsely accused him of knowing a criminal by the name of Christy Griffin, as well as accusing of him of lying about knowing Griffin.