THE President, Mrs Robinson, said yesterday she had "given her best" to the role of the Presidency and "there would be nothing like it again" in her life.
She said when people heard her announcement, they might initially "feel a sense of being let down" but she hoped it would be understood in time. Speaking on RTE radio, she said it had been a difficult decision to make and she had changed her mind a number of times.
She mentioned people who were involved in combating racism, helping emigrants and assisting the disabled as being "special components" of those she represented.
She said that the last few months of her Presidency would be "very precious".
"The people were involved in my decision to develop the resources of the Presidency," she said.
When asked about her legacy, he said the most "important thing would be that the vision and freshness which people gave to their representative" would be continued. This would guarantee the Presidency's continuing closeness to the people.
Naming the highlights of her Presidency was difficult, she said, as every day was "such an enriching experience".
She added: "The highlights have been in small places. I will remember going into resource centres, houses, and the involvement with people who were trying to change their circumstances, their neighbourhood and their communities."
In a wider context, she had been proud to represent Ireland in Rwanda and be part of the self development taking place in many parts of Africa.
In Northern Ireland a "whole range of people" had taken up the reaching out in friendship process she had been involved in.
"There is a yearning for peace in Northern Ireland. Every day I hear about new contact being made and it is all part of a quiet build up in friendship that hopefully will help the difficult political decision making ahead."
She said she was still looking forward to a visit by Queen Elizabeth in the near future.
When asked about her relationship with various governments during her term of office, she said they had all given her "significant support", considering that she was looking to expand the role of the office.
All the governments she had worked with "understood the broader symbolic involvement" in her visits to Rwanda and Somalia.
She had had a conversation with the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, about her commitment to the area of human rights. She said she would be "exploring all possibilities" in regard to her future role.