| Party | Leader | Seats | Loss/Gain | D?l Seats (%) |
| Fianna F?l | Charles Haughey | 81 | + 6 | 48.8 |
| Fine Gael | Garret FitzGerald | 51 | - 19 | 30.7 |
| Labour | Dick Spring | 12 | - 4 | 7.2 |
| Progressive Democrats | Des O'Malley | 14 | + 0 | 8.4 |
| Others | - | 8 | + 3 | 4.8 |
Charles Haughey leads Fianna F?l into a minority government after five years in opposition. Garret FitzGerald of Fine Gael resigns following the election result. He is replaced by Alan Dukes. The Progressive Democrats, lead by Desmond O'Malley, contest there first general election. Since then they have never recorded such an electoral result.
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