As counts began to turn into results across the country, it was clear that there had been no Sinn Féin landslide victory, no significant lurch to the far right, and no drubbing for the Government parties in either the local or European elections.

But even before Friday's elections, senior members of the coalition from both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had been privately advocating for an autumn election.

"Before the clocks go back" has been a refrain uttered by many around Leinster House in recent months when election speculation is raised.

Over the weekend as the results across local elections trickled in, some began to privately argue in favour of cutting even sooner, with one experienced Fine Gael member suggesting that a September election may now be the best option.

This would not provide Sinn Féin the time to regroup after what Mary Lou McDonald herself described as a "disappointing" performance this time around.

Some have also suggested that agreeing to a budget ahead of a general election could be difficult if not fraught as each of the three Government parties competes to eke out as much financial support for projects and initiatives that they could then claim as a win when knocking on doors during an election campaign.

In the lead-up to Friday's elections, candidates and canvassers of all parties and none had been reporting that the mood on the doorsteps was positive, people seemed receptive, but in many cases were not interested in interacting beyond taking a leaflet from those looking for their vote.

Unlike the local elections of 2019, during which the Green Party sailed in on a wave of support, or the 2020 general election which saw Sinn Féin surge, there was no apparent groundswell for any particular party or candidate in the days leading up to the vote.

This was interpreted by some as apathy among the public, while others suggested it might be a growing undercurrent of support for the far right.

However, what this lack of real engagement appears to have been is actually a satisfaction with the political status quo.

Long-serving and often vocal TD Michael Ring was the first to make it clear that he would favour an autumn election.

“I think Fine Gael would be well to go the country. Go to the country in October, not wait. We had two winter elections and I don’t ever want to see a winter election again," the Mayo TD said.

In the days and weeks ahead, he may be joined by others in the coalition who increasingly feel that a pre-Christmas election is the optimal time to go to the country.

The only difficulty facing the new Taoiseach will be how he might walk himself back from his repeated insistence that the coalition serve out its full term to the new year.

"I think what the people right across the country want me to do is my job," Mr Harris said when pressed on an early election.

I'm 61 days as Taoiseach of this country. They want me to bring energy not just to the campaign trail, but to also solve some issues, including ones that have seemed intractable in the past, and that's my absolute determination.

Having stood firm on a 2025 election, Mr Harris may have to solve the dilemma of find a way to explain a sudden change of heart if he does decide to go to the Park early.

But politicians always have a good knack for explaining themselves out of situations and right now it is looking like there are more good reasons to call an early general election than there are bad.