The eldest of a family of 9 of an Irish father and a Scottish mother, he played in Scottish, Irish and English football. He won a Scottish Intermediate Cup winners medal for Ashfield in 1927-28 and helped Dundalk to win the Irish League in 1933-34.

He was turned 30 before he made his Football League debut with Lincoln City.

He got off to a good start with Southport by scoring on his debut at inside right where he made 15 of his 20 League appearances, the other five being it outside right. He was widely regarded as a clever and constructive ball player.

He was sent off for disputing a decision for the reserves against Horwich RMI, but only received a caution.

Mickey Burke worked as a riveter in the Glasgow shipyards and later went back there as an electrician. He finished his working life on the docks and lived on in Glasgow for another 20 years until dying of pneumonia and old age. He was one of the few Southport players who never married.