Editing Constitution of Ireland (section)

==Discrepancies between the Irish and English texts==
A number of discrepancies have been identified between the Irish language and English language texts of the Constitution.  According to Article 25.5.4° the Irish text prevails in such cases. The [[Second Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|second amendment]] resolved some of these in 1941 with changes to the Irish language texts of Articles 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 28 and 34 which had no corresponding change to the English language text.

Perhaps the most significant remaining discrepancy between the two texts of the Constitution is to be found in the subsection stipulating the minimum age for a candidate to be eligible for election as President (Art. 12.4.1°). According to the English text, an eligible candidate "has reached his thirty-fifth year of age", whereas the Irish text has this as "{{lang|ga|ag a bhfuil cúig bliana tríochad slán}}" ("has completed his thirty-five years").

A person's first year begins when they are born and ends the day before their first birthday. A first birthday is the beginning of their second year. Accordingly, the thirty-fifth year of age is reached on a person's thirty-fourth birthday. In contrast a person has completed their first year on their first birthday and their thirty-fifth year on their thirty-fifth birthday.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Micheál |last1=Ó Cearúil |first2=Máirtín |last2=Ó Murchú |title=Bunreacht na hÉireann: a study of the Irish text |year=1999 |publisher=Stationery Office |location=Dublin |isbn=0707664004 |page=132 |url=https://www.constitution.ie/Documents/Bunreacht%20na%20hEireann%20-%20Study%20of%20the%20Irish%20Text.pdf |access-date=13 November 2013 |quote=While the English text requires a Presidential candidate to have 'reached his thirty-fifth year of age', which it has been noted the candidate would do on his thirty-fourth birthday, the Irish text requires him to have completed thirty five years. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055829/https://www.constitution.ie/Documents/Bunreacht%20na%20hEireann%20-%20Study%20of%20the%20Irish%20Text.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This can be contrasted with Article 16.1.2˚ regarding the entitlement to vote for Dáil Éireann which states this as those "who have reached the age of eighteen years".