Followed his father into auctioneering, then into politics. Sold houses for builders Brennan & McGowan in the 1970s; the builders raised almost £150,000 for the budding politician between 1972 and 1984.
We have yet to hear of Burke's fundraising efforts between 1984 and 1988, but in 1989 he hit the jackpot.
In the three weeks before the general election in that year, he received £117,000 in contributions. The biggest donor was Oliver Barry, head of Century radio, who gave the then minister for communications £35,000 in cash.
Then there was the famous £30,000 given by James Gogarty of JMSE in June 1989. The Flood tribunal has spent 18 months investigating this payment without yet getting to the bottom of it.
Allegations that he got an additional £40,000 from the developer Michael Bailey have remained just that - allegations. Bailey has acknowledged making small contributions to Fianna Fail at party fundraisers held in the Dublin North constituency.
Also in this period, Burke received a cheque for £30,000 from Rennicks Manufacturing, given on behalf of Fitzwilton. Some £10,000 of this was passed on to Fianna Fail.