He played hurling with his local club Collins and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1927 until 1929.
Burke first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork team that won a second consecutive Munster title in 1927 with a 5-3 to 3-4 victory over Clare.
That game ended in a draw, however, in the replay Cork triumphed with Burke collecting his second consecutive Munster title.
The subsequent All-Ireland final was a replay of the previous year’s game as Cork played Galway once again.
[citation needed] Partial Reference: Cork GAA website Inter-County SHC Results and Teams.