Court set the ballot paper pecking order

I REFER to the article by Dr Liam Weeks on electoral systems (April 9) in which he states: “This sometimes results in a desire among candidates to be near the top of the ballot paper, explaining why at elections rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Éamon O Cuív drops the ‘O’ from his surname.”

Both the electoral register and ballot papers list names in alphabetical order based on surnames. The Circuit Court ruled that the prefixes O, Ní, Uí, Mac, Mhic, Nic were not part of the surname proper and therefore surnames in Irish should be listed according to the surname proper ie., Cuair, Cuív, etc.

To do otherwise in an index gives the ridiculous situation of indexing names in one family in three different places, for example,

O Máille Padhraic

Uí Mháille Máire

Ní Mháille Siobhán

Instead of as approved by the Circuit Court and as listed by Galway County Council on the electoral register,

Máille, Padhraic O

Máille, Máire, Uí

Máille, Síobhan, Ní

I hope this clarifies the issue.

Éamon O Cuív TD

Minister for Social and Family Affairs

Áras Mhic Dhiarmada

Dublin 1