1985 Irish local elections

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1985 Irish local elections
Flag of Ireland.svg
  1979 20 June 1985 1991  
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Charles Haughey, 1990.jpg
Garret FitzGerald 1975 (cropped).jpg
Dick Spring 1995 (headshot).jpg
Leader Charles Haughey Garret FitzGerald Dick Spring
Party Fianna Fáil Fine Gael Labour
Leader since7 December 19791 July 19771 November 1982
Seats won44128760
Seat changeIncrease2.svg113Decrease2.svg5Decrease2.svg 15
Popular vote648,070422,045109,681
Percentage45.6%29.7%7.9%
SwingIncrease2.svg6.5%Decrease2.svg5.4%Decrease2.svg4.2%

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
 
Tomas Mac Giolla (cropped).jpg
Gerry Adams, 1997.jpg
IFF
Leader Tomás Mac Giolla Gerry Adams Neil Blaney
Party Workers' Party Sinn Féin Independent Fianna Fáil
Leader since14 October 196213 November 19831972
Last electionN/A
Seats won20106
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 13Steady2.svg 10Increase2.svg 2
Popular vote43,00646,39111073
Percentage3.0%3.3%0.8%
SwingIncrease2.svg 0.3%Increase2.svg 1.7%Steady2.svg 0.8%

 Seventh party
 
DSP
Leader Jim Kemmy
Party Democratic Socialist Party
Leader since1972
Seats won3
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 3
Popular vote5,472
Percentage0.4%
SwingIncrease2.svg 0.4%

The 1985 Irish local elections were held in all the local government areas on Thursday, 20 June 1985.

Contents

There were two tiers of local government areas. The state was divided into local government areas of administrative counties and county boroughs under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. Within administrative counties, there was a second tier in certain areas of boroughs governed by the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840 and the 1898 Act, urban districts governed by the 1898 Act, and towns with town commissioners governed by the Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act 1854.

The elections had been postponed from June 1984. [1] This allowed the Local Government (Reorganisation) Act 1985 to be enacted beforehand. Each local government area was divided into local electoral areas (LEAs) to be elected on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV).

Administrative changes

Under the Local Government (Reorganisation) Act 1985: [2]

Two Electoral Area Boundary Commissions proposed changes which were implemented by order of the minister: [3]

Results

County, city and town council seats

PartySeats±1st prefFPv% [5] [6] ±%
Fianna Fáil 441Increase2.svg 113648,07045.6+6.5
Fine Gael 287Decrease2.svg 5422,04529.7-5.4
Labour 60Decrease2.svg 15109,6817.9-4.2
Workers' Party 20Increase2.svg1343,0063.0+0.8
Sinn Féin 10Steady2.svg 046,3913.3
Independent Fianna Fáil 6Increase2.svg 211,0730.8
Democratic Socialist 3New5,4720.4New
Waterford People's Party 1New1,6810.1New
Donegal Progressive Party 11,5060.1
Green 0New7,4460.5New
Communist 05930.0
Independent 135,6039.6-2.1
Total1,421,494100
Note

Sinn Féin, Independent Fianna Fáil and the Waterford People's Party were not registered political parties.

Counties and cities

Authority FF FG Lab WP SF Ind/Oth Total
Carlow 1073121
Cavan 1410125
Clare 178732
Cork City 13852331
Cork County 241921248
Donegal 1191821
Dublin City 2613261452
Dublin–Belgard 13822126
Dublin–Fingal 1373124
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown 13113128
Galway City 6511215
Galway County 179430
Kerry 1373427
Kildare 1075325
Kilkenny 11103226
Laois 1491125
Leitrim 108422
Limerick City 561517
Limerick County 181028
Longford 109221
Louth 12821326
Mayo 1514231
Meath 1710229
Monaghan 1071220
North Tipperary 1261221
Offaly 126321
Roscommon 138526
Sligo 1191425
South Tipperary 1483126
Waterford City 5422215
Waterford County 1110223
Westmeath 1353223
Wexford 1161321
Wicklow 13541124
Totals4372835820481783

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An election to the electoral county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown within Dublin County to Dublin County Council took place on 20 June 1985 as part of that year's Irish local elections. Councillors were elected from local electoral areas on the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote voting for a five-year term of office. This term was extended for a further year, to 1991.

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References

Sources

Citations

  1. Local Elections (Specification of Local Election Year) Order 1984 ( S.I. No. 6 of 1984 ). Signed on 12 January 1984. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland .Retrieved from Irish Statute Book .
  2. DofE 1986, p. vi–viii.
  3. County Electoral Areas (Amendment) Order 1985 ( S.I. No. 109 of 1985 ). Signed on 24 April 1985. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland .Retrieved from Irish Statute Book .; County Electoral Areas (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 1985 ( S.I. No. 110 of 1985 ). Signed on 24 April 1985. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland .Retrieved from Irish Statute Book .
  4. Galway County Council (Amendment) Order 1985 ( S.I. No. 127 of 1985 ). Signed on 7 May 1985. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland .Retrieved from Irish Statute Book .
  5. "County by county first preference vote". The Irish Times. 1 July 1991. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2011. The first two digits of the Fine Gael total vote seem to be transposed in error, based on the other figures and percentages.
  6. "1985 Local Election". irelandelection.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.

See also