Carlow County Council: 1979 Local Election
| Party | Seats | Votes | Share | Candidates | Constituencies | |||||
| Fine Gael |  | 9 | (+2) | 6981 | 42.8% | (+5.6%) | 14 | (-2) | 4 | |
| Fianna Fáil |  | 8 | (-1) | 5597 | 34.3% | (-2.7%) | 17 | (-1) | 4 | |
| Labour Party |  | 3 | 3081 | 18.9% | (-1.6%) | 7 | (-2) | 4 | ||
| Independent |  | 1 | (-1) | 650 | 4.0% | (-1.2%) | 4 | (+2) | 3 | (+2) |