The 1979 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Limerick, Ireland, at the Greenpark Racecourse on 25 March 1979.

A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald.

[1] Complete results for men,[2] junior men,[3] women,[4] medallists, [5] and the results of British athletes[6] were published.

*   Host nation (Ireland)An unofficial count yields the participation of 383 athletes from 27 countries.

This is in agreement with the official numbers as published.