Kilkenny County Council: 1985 Local Election
| Party | Seats | Votes | Share | Candidates | Constituencies | |||||
| Fianna Fáil |  | 11 | 14722 | 44.8% | (+3.8%) | 20 | (-3) | 5 | (+1) | |
| Fine Gael |  | 10 | 11631 | 35.4% | (-2.3%) | 20 | (-3) | 5 | (+1) | |
| Labour Party |  | 3 | (-1) | 3509 | 10.7% | (-4.1%) | 7 | (-5) | 5 | (+1) |
| Workers' Party |  | 1 | (+1) | 1644 | 5.0% | (+5.0%) | 3 | (+3) | 3 | (+3) |
| Independent |  | 1 | (+1) | 1370 | 4.2% | (+1.9%) | 4 | (+2) | 2 | |