PD leader Ciaran Cannon has admitted telling three of his party councillors about Fine Gael's interest in recruiting them.

But he insists he was simply passing on the information to allow them make an informed choice about their future and "was not recruiting for Fine Gael or any party".

In conversations with Cannon, Fine Gael mentioned their particular interest in three PD councillors: Paul Mitchell from Portarlington; Carlow-based Walter Lacey and Galway City Councillor Donal Lyons.

Speaking to the Sunday Tribune yesterday, Cannon said he personally had contact from a number of political parties but Fine Gael was the only one to say that they might be interested in other PD elected representatives.

"I was then faced with a choice: do I keep that to myself or tell the councillors?" Cannon said he acted out of "huge concern" for the councillors and he felt that, given the imminent demise of the PDs, it would of help to them to know that a particular party was interested in them.

On that basis he decided to informed the three councillors on a confidential basis. He said it was "very unfortunate" that this has had now emerged in the public domain.

He also said that in simply passing on the information, there was no persuasion or encouragement on his part – a point that is accepted within the PD party even among those unhappy at the approach.

Cannon stressed that he would have done exactly the same thing if Fianna Fail, Labour or the Greens had informed him of their interest in PD councillors.

"I was not recruiting for Fine Gael or any party. I have no idea where I will end up and I wouldn't be so presumptious to recruit [for any party]," he said.

Asked if the fact that Fine Gael had passed on the names of the three councillors to him did not suggest the party was absolutely confident that he would soon be joining them, Cannon said: "I don't know if that argument stands up. For example, they didn't tell me about Cait Keane [a PD councillor in Dublin who last week defected to Fine Gael]".

"I simply passed on the information [to the three councillors]. I thought that was the responsible approach," Cannon said.

Contacted by the Sunday Tribune, Councillor Walter Lacey declined to make any comment other than to say that he "certainly had no intention of making any decisions in relation to my future until after 8 November [the date for special conference to vote on the PDs' future]".

Lacey, who joined the party at its foundation and had no previous links to any other party, has said that his initial preference in the event of the PDs being wound up would be to go the independent route.

Laois councillor Paul Mitchell also declined yesterday to be drawn on the matter.

However, he said he had been approached by a number of people and that while his preference was for the PDs to continue, "his door was open" , adding: "I'm realistic. If the PDs are finished, I will have a decision to make".