The Irish Championship 1980, held at Cork's ‘North Mon’, had a relatively strong field, with former champions Michael Littleton and Alan Ludgate joined by national master and top seed Paul Delaney, Eugene Curtin, and internationals Anthony McCarthy and Philip Short from Cork, though the defending joint champions David Dunne and Eamon Keogh were absent.

The player in form was Paul Delaney, who had recently won the Leinster championship and who started here with four straight wins, against Ciarán O'Hare, Keith Allen, Paul Wallace, and Eddie O'Reilly, to lead by 1½ points from 10 players (!) bunched on 2½. His lead never subsequently dropped below a clear point, and with one more win, against Philip Short, and draws for the rest, he recorded his first (and as it turned out, only) title.

The surprise of the event came from Liam Porter, who was clear second and undefeated on +3 after rounds 6-8, and who had an outside chance of becoming joint champion heading into the last round. A loss to Tom Clarke pushed him down to joint 3rd with five other players, still his best-ever finish in an Irish championship, winning the trophy for third prize on tie-break. Tom Clarke finished clear second.

Both Littleton and Ludgate were undefeated, but each drew 7 of their first 8 games, and each also finished joint third, joined by Ulster champion Keith Allen, Paul Cassidy, and Jack Killane, who finished with 4½ from his last 5 games.