Members of Enoch Burke's family stage protest in Washington

At least four members of Mr Burke's family, including his parents, stood outside a barrier at the edge of the White House compound holding up signs

Members of Enoch Burke's family staged a protest in the vicinity of the White House in Washington DC in advance of the ceremonial presentation of shamrocks to the US president by the Taoiseach.

The family was spotted on a flight to the US capital on Tuesday afternoon which led to speculation that they may have been invited by Elon Musk, who has previously posted on his X platform in support of the jailed teacher.

At least four members of Mr Burke's family, including his parents, stood outside a barrier at the edge of the White House compound holding up signs bearing black and white slogans such as "no religious freedom in Ireland" and "America needs to know the truth about Ireland".

Another placard displayed a photograph of Mr Burke along with the number of days he has served in prison.

Mr Burke himself was not present.

Asked to speak about their presence in Washington, the family refused to engage with members of the Irish media who are in the US capital to cover Taoiseach Micheál Martin's bilateral meeting with Donald Trump.