Cavan County Council: 1979 Local Election
| Party | Seats | Votes | Share | Candidates | Constituencies | |||||
| Fianna Fáil |  | 12 | 12003 | 42.5% | (+3.3%) | 18 | (-2) | 4 | ||
| Fine Gael |  | 11 | (+1) | 11841 | 41.9% | (+2.9%) | 17 | (-1) | 4 | |
| Independent |  | 1 | 3524 | 12.5% | (+4.5%) | 8 | (+5) | 4 | (+1) | |
| Sinn Féin |  | 1 | 851 | 3.0% | (-3.6%) | 1 | (-3) | 1 | (-3) | |
| Sinn Féin (Workers' Party) |  | 0 | 50 | 0.2% | (+0.2%) | 1 | (+1) | 1 | (+1) | |