# 1985 Laois County Council election

An election to Laois County Council took place on 20 June 1985 as part of the 1985 Irish local election. 25 councillors were elected from five local electoral areas (LEAs) for a five-year term of office on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV). This term was extended for a further year, to 1991.

## Results by party

| Party | Party | Seats | ± | First Pref. votes | FPv% | ±% |
| | Fianna Fáil | 14 | +3 | 11,989 | 50.33 | |
| | Fine Gael | 9 | -3 | 8,513 | 35.74 | |
| | Labour | 1 | -1 | 1,446 | 6.07 | |
| | Independent | 1 | +1 | 1,873 | 7.86 | |
| Totals | Totals | 25 | - | 23,219 | 100.00 | — |

## Results by local electoral area
### Borris-in-Ossory

Borris-in-Ossory: 7 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Liam Hyland TD* | | 1,479 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Jimmy Kelly* | | 837 | 873 | | | | | | | | |
| | Fine Gael | William Mansfield* | | 712 | 744 | 745 | 800 | 845 | 850 | 854 | | | |
| | Fine Gael | Sean Jacob* | | 589 | 654 | 655 | 657 | 749 | 751 | 835 | 914 | | |
| | Fine Gael | Jim Phelan* | | 508 | 528 | 529 | 530 | 571 | 572 | 582 | 664 | 785 | 829 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Fintan Phelan | | 390 | 460 | 466 | 493 | 536 | 537 | 569 | 641 | 735 | 737 |
| | Labour | Larry Kavanagh | | 377 | 395 | 402 | 405 | 500 | 501 | 511 | | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Paddy Phelan* | | 369 | 446 | 447 | 527 | 528 | 531 | 651 | 665 | 723 | 725 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Thomas Fennelly | | 356 | 421 | 423 | 441 | 446 | 447 | 533 | 552 | | |
| | Fine Gael | Brendan Dunne | | 349 | 362 | 368 | 373 | | | | | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Eddie Kirwan | | 326 | 386 | 387 | 435 | 465 | 470 | 530 | 649 | 821 | 824 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Eamon Rafter* | | 313 | 411 | 412 | 428 | 433 | 433 | | | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Martin Keane | | 193 | 260 | 262 | | | | | | | |
| | Independent | Brendan Clear | | 31 | 35 | | | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 9,808 Valid: 6,829 (70.01%) Spoilt: 38 Quota: 854 Turnout: 6,867 ||||||||||||||

### Emo

Emo- 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Ray Cribbin | | 691 | 700 | 729 | 903 | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Michael Nerney* | | 684 | 716 | 741 | 852 | |
| | Fine Gael | Jim Buggie* | | 553 | 624 | 711 | 718 | 725 |
| | Labour | Ned Kelly* | | 456 | 593 | 626 | 698 | 747 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Don Cunningham | | 377 | 383 | 394 | | |
| | Fine Gael | Mary Lewis | | 369 | 387 | 495 | 513 | 521 |
| | Fine Gael | John O'Reilly* | | 296 | 298 | | | |
| | Labour | Frank Byrne | | 279 | | | | |
| Electorate: 6,146 Valid: 3,705 (60.93%) Spoilt: 40 Quota: 742 Turnout: 3,745 |||||||||

### Luggacurren

Luggacurren- 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Martin Rohan* | | 668 | 674 | 681 | 681 | 712 | 775 | 785 |
| | Fianna Fáil | James Cooney* | | 649 | 679 | 695 | 708 | 927 | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Mary Wheatley | | 556 | 572 | 593 | 610 | 718 | 760 | 862 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Liam Doran | | 369 | 373 | 386 | 439 | | | |
| | Independent | William Fleming* | | 366 | 408 | 436 | 450 | 455 | 458 | |
| | Independent | John Daly* | | 363 | 403 | 443 | 458 | 489 | 496 | 683 |
| | Fine Gael | Sen. Charles McDonald* | | 338 | 357 | 432 | 649 | 674 | 680 | 755 |
| | Fine Gael | John Gaffney | | 267 | 282 | 347 | | | | |
| | Fine Gael | John Moran | | 240 | 271 | | | | | |
| | Labour | Tony O'Brien | | 211 | | | | | | |
| Electorate: 5,915 Valid: 4,027 (63.13%) Spoilt: 41 Quota: 806 Turnout: 4,068 |||||||||||

### Portlaoise

Portlaoise: 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Joe Dunne* | | 907 | | | | | |
| | Fine Gael | Tom Keenan* | | 750 | | | | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Jerry Lodge* | | 564 | 639 | 669 | 678 | 813 | |
| | Fine Gael | William Aird | | 549 | 563 | 581 | 654 | 690 | 763 |
| | Fianna Fáil | John Hosey* | | 471 | 483 | 490 | 568 | 621 | 674 |
| | Fine Gael | Joe Carroll* | | 395 | 401 | 413 | 439 | 457 | 552 |
| | Independent | Joe McCormack | | 256 | 267 | 312 | 329 | 359 | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Tom Jacob | | 228 | 269 | 278 | 280 | | |
| | Fine Gael | Michael Dea | | 196 | 197 | 213 | | | |
| | Labour | Tom Phelan | | 123 | 125 | | | | |
| | Independent | Patrick Larkin | | 20 | 21 | | | | |
| Electorate: 7,056 Valid: 4,459 (63.79%) Spoilt: 42 Quota: 744 Turnout: 4,501 ||||||||||

### Tinnahinch

Tinnahinch- 5 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| | Fianna Fáil | John Moloney | | 1,279 | | | | | | | |
| | Fine Gael | Oliver J. Flanagan TD* | | 728 | 779 | 918 | | | | | |
| | Fine Gael | David Goodwin* | | 485 | 508 | 562 | 624 | 645 | 650 | 898 | |
| | Fine Gael | Michael Lalor* | | 478 | 491 | 506 | 522 | 545 | 555 | 658 | 739 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Seamus McDonald | | 473 | 660 | 685 | 698 | 928 | | | |
| | Fine Gael | Denis Feighery | | 440 | 449 | 488 | 499 | 516 | 522 | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Joe Digan | | 378 | 425 | 447 | 453 | 510 | 616 | 727 | 743 |
| | Fine Gael | Noel Deffew | | 271 | 330 | | | | | | |
| | Fianna Fáil | Donal McCormack | | 269 | 358 | 367 | 372 | | | | |
| Electorate: 6,332 Valid: 4,801 (76.58%) Spoilt: 48 Quota: 801 Turnout: 4,849 ||||||||||||