McDowell's letter, which has been seen by the Sunday Tribune, assures potential donors that the amount requested is "below the declarable limit" and that the donations will be "absolutely confidential and will not [his emphasis] be the subject of any disclosure either voluntary or statutory".

The PD leader says in the letter that, between now and the election "in late May or early June", his party has "a huge task" in ensuring that it returns to the next Dáil in sufficient numbers to form a government with Fianna Fáil.

"In order to finance a political campaign consisting of billboard posters, newspapers, policy documents and the like, the Progressive Democrats have decided to ask 400 people in Ireland to make a personal subscription of Euro5,000 to the party. Such a fund, consisting of Euro2m, will enable the Progressive Democrats to mount a really effective public relations campaign, " he writes.

This is all the more important, the Tánaiste adds, given that sections of the media are "extremely hostile" to the party.

"We have to get our message across directly to the electorate rather than through the medium of hostile commentators and indifferent editors".

McDowell goes on to explain that the single donation is designed to avoid "repeated approaches" seeking support for various events and to "eliminate potential confusion over total amounts donated by you to the party in a given year".

He promises potential donors that if they do decide to make a single donation of Euro5,000, they will receive "no further requests for funds" [his emphasis] from party headquarters in 2007.

A memo attached to the letter is provided to back up McDowell's point that each individual/company may donate up to Euro5,078.95 in a calendar year to any political party without having to make a public disclosure. He also stresses there is no prohibition of "connected individuals or family members" making donations up to the annual amount of Euro5,000.

A Euro5,000 donation entitles a person to 10 tickets in the party's national draw next Sunday (value Euro1,500); one team of three in the PD golf classic in April (value Euro1,500) and a table for 10 at the party's 'National Lunch' (value Euro1,500).

In a separate attachment to the letter, McDowell warns that the alternative to a FF/PD coalition is a FF/ Labour government - which he says "proved to be a very volatile and ineffectual partnership" in 1992-94 - or "Fianna Fáil with the outside support of the Sinn Féin party".