Christopher P. Burke

Christopher Patrick Burke (February 1862 - 12 October 1906) was an Irish footballer, athlete, referee, games administrator and dancer. A founder of the GAA in Louth, he was also a founding member of a number of local teams. Outside of football, Christopher Burke competed in various athletic competitions across Ireland, before retiring from sports to focus on their administration, as well as refereeing. He was also an Irish dancing champion, having won a national competition held by the Gaelic League at the turn of the 19th Century.
Politically, Burke was a nationalist, a belief which he often expressed during his time as the President of both the Drogheda Debating Society and the Drogheda Commercial Reading Rooms. His funeral, which occurred after his death aged 44 from nephritis, was referred to by the Drogheda Independent as having been "the largest seen in Drogheda for a very long time".
 
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