# 1979 Sligo County Council election

An election to Sligo County Council took place on 7 June 1979 as part of that year's Irish local elections. 24 councillors were elected from four local electoral areas (LEAs) for a six-year term of office on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV).

## Results by party

| Party | Party | Seats | First Pref. votes | FPv% |
| | Fine Gael | 11 | 11,724 | 42.8% |
| | Fianna Fáil | 10 | 11,164 | 40.7% |
| | Labour | 1 | 650 | 2.4% |
| | Sinn Féin | 0 | 540 | 2.0% |
| | Sinn Féin The Workers' Party | 0 | 167 | 0.6% |
| | Independent | 2 | 3,161 | 11.5% |
| Totals | Totals | 24 | 27,406 | 100.0% |

## Results by local electoral area
### Ballymote

Ballymote: 7 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 |
| | Fine Gael | Tommy Lavin* | 12.6% | 930 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Joe Shannon* | 11.4% | 843 | 859 | 860 | 911 | 935 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Michael Conlan* | 10.4% | 767 | 773 | 773 | 779 | 791 | 873 | 923 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Tommy Deignan* | 9.9% | 727 | 731 | 732 | 748 | 774 | 831 | 954 |
| | Fine Gael | Gerry Murray* | 9.7% | 714 | 728 | 729 | 742 | 800 | 822 | 831 | 844 |
| | Independent | William Gormley* | 8.7% | 639 | 655 | 656 | 699 | 735 | 794 | 860 | 872 |
| | Fine Gael | John Higgins | 7.8% | 574 | 593 | 594 | 614 | 710 | 745 | 774 | 779 |
| | Fine Gael | Leo Conlon* | 7.7% | 568 | 588 | 589 | 599 | 635 | 763 | 801 | 806 |
| | Fine Gael | Michael Kelly | 4.7% | 347 | 370 | 370 | 410 | 431 | — |
| | Fine Gael | Neil Henry | 4.7% | 344 | 375 | 377 | 395 | — |
| | Fianna Fáil | Kevin Savage | 4.4% | 328 | 412 | 412 | 513 | 530 | 556 | — |
| | Independent | Abina McMorrow | 4.2% | 307 | 350 | 350 | — |
| | Fine Gael | Kevin Lee | 3.9% | 289 | — |
| Electorate: 9,400 Valid: 7,377 (78.48%) Quota: 923 ||||||||||||
Source for Ballymote counts.

### Dromore

Dromore: 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 | Paddy Conway* | 26.6% | 1,065 |
| | Fine Gael | Paul Conmy* | 16.2% | 648 | 692 | 713 | 744 | 816 |
| | Fianna Fáil | George Finnerty* | 12.4% | 496 | 605 | 622 | 643 | 681 | 681 | 809 |
| | Fine Gael | Peter Barrett* | 11.3% | 454 | 467 | 470 | 493 | 640 | 652 | 718 |
| | Independent | Patrick O'Neill | 9.6% | 386 | 406 | 420 | 449 | 482 | 484 | — |
| | Fianna Fáil | Patrick Hallinan | 9.1% | 363 | 411 | 418 | 483 | 496 | 497 | 593 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Sean Tempany | 7.2% | 289 | 298 | 300 | 338 | — |
| | Sinn Féin | Jack McElduff | 5.6% | 225 | 234 | 240 | — |
| | Independent | Michael Maloney | 1.9% | 76 | 88 | — |
| Valid: 4,002 Quota: 801 |||||||||||
Source for Dromore counts.

### Sligo

Sligo: 9 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Sean McManus* | 12.4% | 1,201 |
| | Fianna Fáil | John Mulrooney* | 10.1% | 1,065 |
| | Independent | Declan Bree* | 9.7% | 1,154 | 1,182 | 1,206 |
| | Fine Gael | Tony McLoughlin* | 9.4% | 1,116 | 1,141 | 1,163 | 1,175 | 1,176 | 1,177 | 1,201 |
| | Fine Gael | Tom Fox* | 7.0% | 826 | 837 | 844 | 858 | 858 | 859 | 879 | 912 | 935 | 970 | 1,001 | 1,054 | 1,097 | 1,111 |
| | Fine Gael | Eugene Henry* | 6.7% | 798 | 811 | 823 | 827 | 829 | 829 | 837 | 902 | 921 | 976 | 1,021 | 1,062 | 1,114 | 1,120 |
| | Fine Gael | John Fallon* | 5.8% | 691 | 715 | 733 | 737 | 743 | 743 | 751 | 780 | 793 | 808 | 834 | 939 | 1,002 | 1,018 |
| | Fianna Fáil | William Farrell* | 5.6% | 669 | 708 | 711 | 731 | 731 | 736 | 742 | 747 | 771 | 847 | 964 | 985 | 1,250 |
| | Fine Gael | James Feighney | 5.1% | 600 | 601 | 602 | 636 | 636 | 638 | 639 | 659 | 674 | 836 | 848 | 862 | 879 | 884 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Michael Brennan | 7.0% | 826 | 837 | 844 | 858 | 858 | 859 | 879 | 912 | 935 | 970 | 1,001 | 1,054 | 1,097 | 1,111 |
| | Independent | Michael Carroll | 4.0% | 472 | 482 | 490 | 498 | 500 | 500 | 515 | 523 | 556 | 561 | 573 | — |
| | Labour | Tommy Higgins* | 4.8% | 574 | 611 | 613 | 621 | 621 | 622 | 632 | 637 | 652 | 658 | 776 | 802 | — |
| | Fianna Fáil | Albert Higgins | 3.7% | 439 | 490 | 493 | 496 | 497 | 499 | 505 | 508 | 523 | 525 | — |
| | Fine Gael | John Watters | 3.2% | 379 | 381 | 382 | 392 | 393 | 394 | 402 | 424 | 444 | — |
| | Fine Gael | P.J. Kearney | 2.7% | 315 | 323 | 324 | 332 | 333 | 333 | 337 | 343 | — |
| | Fine Gael | Matt Lyons | 1.8% | 216 | 221 | 222 | 224 | 224 | 224 | 236 | — |
| | Fine Gael | Dympna McNamara | 1.6% | 195 | 202 | 204 | 213 | 214 | 214 | — |
| | Sinn Féin The Workers' Party | Michael Leydon | 1.4% | 167 | 168 | 168 | — |
| | Independent | Sidney Gallagher | 1.1% | 133 | 133 | — |
| Valid: 11,869 Quota: 1,187 ||||||||||||||||||
Source for Sligo counts.

### Tubbercurry

Tubbercurry: 4 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | Count | Count | Count |
| Party | Party | Candidate | FPv% | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Matt Brennan* | 24.9% | 1,035 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Paddy Marren* | 20.1% | 837 |
| | Fine Gael | Peter Kivlehan* | 18.5% | 771 | 821 | 879 |
| | Fine Gael | Joe Cawley* | 15.5% | 643 | 696 | 783 |
| | Fine Gael | Luke Colleran | 12.7% | 527 | 541 | 590 |
| | Fianna Fáil | Eugene Owens | 8.3% | 345 | 431 | — |
| Valid: 4,158 Quota: 823 |||||||
Source for Tubbercurry counts.

## Footnotes

* ↑ Member of the Sligo–Leitrim Independent Socialist Organisation ran as an Independent