He was descended from Gaelic nobles, and shared a common ancestor with Tibbot ne Long Bourke, 1st Viscount Mayo.
[1][2] In 1727, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Naas, representing the seat in the Irish House of Commons until 1760.
He was re-elected for Naas in 1768, and held the seat until his elevation to the peerage in 1776.
[3] He assumed his seat in the Irish House of Lords, and on 13 January 1781 he was made Viscount Mayo, a title which had previously been held by his distant relations.
The Naas constituency was also represented by Bourke's son and grandson, the second and fourth earls.