It was a good weekend for the nerds and the number crunchers, what with all the tallying and counting that went on in Dublin and Galway.The upshot of it all will now play out in the various interested parties in the days ahead.“Pressure is for tyres,” declared Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald yesterday as she reflected on the party’s failure to win either contest. Janice Boylan, who was widely perceived not to be her preferred candidate, missed out in Dublin Central, with Daniel Ennis of the Social Democrats crossing the line there.Ennis also put paid to Gerry Hutch’s short-term political aspirations. The Independent candidate’s hopes were washed away early on – much like the images of him that had adorned the pavements outside a number of polling stations.Likewise, there was a disappointing showing for Sinn Féin in Galway West, where Fine Gael’s Seán Kyne managed to take the seat despite not reaching a quota. He is just the fourth government candidate to have won a byelection in 44 years.McDonald was peppered with questions about her continued suitability as party leader given, in particular, that Boylan had been standing in McDonald’s own constituency.There will be, as ever, some soul searching behind closed doors.Of course, Fianna Fáil leader Michéal Martin had the benefit of extremely low expectations. Nobody anticipated that his party would fare well – and it didn’t. Its candidate in Dublin Central, John Stephens, polled just 4 per cent of first preferences. The best that could be said for the party’s performance was that transfers from Fianna Fáil’s Cillian Keane to Kyne helped the Fine Gael man considerably. Noting this, thankful Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said he reckoned it was a “victory for centrist politics” as Kyne eventually pipped Independent Ireland’s Noel Thomas. The final push came from the Labour candidate Helen Ogbu, who delivered 4,249 transfers.Martin’s leadership was “absolutely not” in question as a consequence of the poor Fianna Fáil showing, said Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien. When asked whether he’d like to run the show sometime soon, O’Brien sidestepped the question.Among the “takeaways” from both contests is the realisation that those who advocated for tough immigration policies did well in Dublin Central. Despite missing out, Hutch and Malachy Steenson managed to garner a fifth of the total first preferences – and grew their share of the vote compared with the general election of 2024.In Galway, it seems, many supporters of the two Coalition parties voted strategically. Between these two trends, Sinn Féin may well have been squeezed.Further discussion about what all this tells us about the state of Irish politics probably has a few more days left in it.Iran peace deal inches closerThe impetus behind much of the recent political turmoil might soon be put on the back-burner if Donald Trump is to be believed. He spent the weekend talking up negotiations between Washington and Iran – and it has been widely reported that some sort of compromise is in the works to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. So important were the discussions that Trump was unable to attend his son’s wedding. Donald jnr officially tied the knot with socialite Bettina Anderson last week – but his dad didn’t make the ceremony proper that followed in West Palm Beach, Florida. “Bad timing,” said the US president.The Iran excursion – coming as it did in advance of midterm elections – could also be said to be a case of bad timing. With an agreement that could bring down the price of gasoline in the US reported to be tantalisingly close, it is perhaps understandable that Donald jnr and his newly betrothed weren’t joined on the dance floor by his pops.Nonetheless, several senior Republicans rocked the boat when they heard the details behind the offer – by accusing Trump of having sold out. Among the supposed aspects that have angered the men on the hill are sanctions relief for Tehran and the unfreezing of assets. This would seem to come before talks about Iran’s nuclear programme – and looks like a bit of a win for them. The outcome of the mooted deal could go a long way to determining who runs for the Republicans in 2028. Vice-president JD Vance has been beavering away in the background. The heir apparent to Trump has been criss-crossing the US to support Republican congressional candidates. He will be concerned about all this talk that secretary of state Marco Rubio is also prepared to have a punt.It’s being billed as America First versus old-school Republican.