Colm Burke

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-suffix = TD

| image = Newly Elected Deputy Colm Burke TD - 54184291392 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Burke in 2024

| imagesize =

| office = Minister of State

| suboffice = Health

| subterm = 2024–2025

| office1 = Teachta Dála

| term_start1 = February 2020

| term_end1 =

| constituency1 = Cork North-Central

| office2 = Senator

| term_start2 = 25 May 2011

| term_end2 = 8 February 2020

| constituency2 = Industrial and Commercial Panel

| office3 = Member of the European Parliament

| term_start3 = 19 June 2007

| term_end3 = 24 June 2009

| constituency3 = South

| office4 = Lord Mayor of Cork

| term_start4 = 6 June 2003

| term_end4 = 4 June 2004

| predecessor4 = John Kelleher

| successor4 = Seán Martin

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|1|17|df=y}}

| birth_place = Cork, Ireland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Fine Gael

| spouse = {{marriage|Mary McCaffrey|1988}}

| children =

| alma_mater = University College Cork

| website =

|}}

Colm Burke (born 17 January 1957) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork North-Central since the 2020 general election. He served as Minister of State at the Department of Health from 2024 to 2025, a Senator for the Industrial and Commercial Panel from 2011 to 2020, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the South constituency from 2007 to 2009 and Lord Mayor of Cork from 2003 to 2004.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25/|title=Colm Burke|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=5 November 2011|archive-date=7 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107225248/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25|url-status=live}}

He was a member of the European Parliament for the South constituency in Ireland between 2007 and 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3500|title=Colm Burke|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=12 April 2009|archive-date=18 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090518022400/http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?id=3500|url-status=live}} He was appointed in June 2007, following the re-election of the outgoing MEP Simon Coveney to Dáil Éireann. Following the abolition of the dual mandate, Coveney opted to remain in national politics and resigned from the European Parliament. Burke subsequently sat as a Fine Gael and European People's Party MEP. He served on various European Parliament committees including Committee on Foreign Affairs, Internal Market & Consumer Protection (Substitute), Committee on Fisheries (Substitute Member) and Subcommittee on Human Rights (Substitute Member). Burke lost his seat at the 2009 European Parliament election, with Fine Gael party colleague Seán Kelly taking a seat instead.{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/politics/fgs-sean-kelly-takes-second-seat-in-ireland-south-1766196.html|title=FG's Sean Kelly takes second seat in Ireland South|date=8 June 2009|work=Irish Independent|access-date=8 June 2009|archive-date=12 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612230647/http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/politics/fgs-sean-kelly-takes-second-seat-in-ireland-south-1766196.html|url-status=live}}

Burke was a member of Cork City Council from 1999 to 2007 and served as Lord Mayor of Cork from 2003 to 2004.{{cite web|title=Previous Mayors of Cork|url=https://www.corkcity.ie/en/council-services/councillors-and-democracy/lord-mayor-of-cork/previous-mayors-of-cork/|publisher=Cork City Council|access-date=11 December 2022}} He was elected to Seanad Éireann in April 2011 and re-elected in 2016. He was the Fine Gael Seanad Spokesperson on Health.

He was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2019 Cork North-Central by-election.{{cite news |last1=Roche |first1=Barry |title=Cork North-Central byelection: Pádraig O'Sullivan holds seat for FF |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/cork-north-central-byelection-p%C3%A1draig-o-sullivan-holds-seat-for-ff-1.4100802 |access-date=5 June 2021 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=30 November 2019 |location=Dublin |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210605115019/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/cork-north-central-byelection-p%C3%A1draig-o-sullivan-holds-seat-for-ff-1.4100802 |archive-date=5 June 2021 }}{{cite news |title=Cork North-Central |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/elections/cork-north-central-byelection |access-date=5 June 2021 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=30 November 2019 |location=Dublin |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210605115338/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/elections/cork-north-central-byelection |archive-date=5 June 2021 }} He was elected for the Cork North-Central constituency at the 2020 general election.{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/cork-north-central-results-fine-gael-s-colm-burke-elected-on-14th-count-1.4165164 |title=Cork North-Central results: Fine Gael's Colm Burke elected on 14th count |date=10 February 2020 |first=Barry |last=Roche |newspaper=Irish Times |location=Dublin |access-date=5 June 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210605105625/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/cork-north-central-results-fine-gael-s-colm-burke-elected-on-14th-count-1.4165164 |archive-date=5 June 2021 }} During the campaign, the windows of his constituency office were smashed and posters were taken.{{Cite web|date=20 January 2020|title='It's been a tough week' – Fine Gael candidate Colm Burke opens up after bricks fired through window of his Cork office|url=https://extra.ie/2020/01/20/news/irish-news/its-been-a-tough-week-fine-gael-candidate-colm-burke-opens-up-after-bricks-fired-through-window-of-his-cork-office|access-date=4 June 2020|website=Extra.ie|language=en|archive-date=4 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604131028/https://extra.ie/2020/01/20/news/irish-news/its-been-a-tough-week-fine-gael-candidate-colm-burke-opens-up-after-bricks-fired-through-window-of-his-cork-office|url-status=live}}

On 10 April 2024, Burke was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Health following the appointment of Simon Harris as Taoiseach.{{cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2024/0410/1442665-ireland-politics/|title=Dillon, Higgins and Burke appointed as junior ministers|work=RTÉ News|date=10 April 2024|access-date=10 April 2024}}

In July 2024, Burke, who had voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment in 2018, reported that he had been denied Holy Communion and informed that he was excommunicated during a funeral mass for a fellow Fine Gael member. The priest responsible for the incident would later confirm that his actions were in response to Burke's "support for abortion". The Association of Catholic Priests "unambiguously" condemned the incident and said that it was "not the role of the priest to judge the conscience of another person. The priest does not own the Eucharist".{{cite web |last1=Conneely |first1=Ailbhe |title=Association of Catholic Priests condemn communion refusal to TD |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/munster/2024/0714/1459811-colm-burke/ |website=RTÉ |access-date=18 July 2024 |date=14 July 2024}}{{cite web |title=Irish politician refused communion over abortion vote |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1479yydr0jo |website=BBC News |access-date=18 July 2024 |date=15 July 2024}}

At the 2024 general election, Burke was re-elected to the Dáil.