THE President brought "the true spirit of Ireland" to Manchester on Saturday in a gesture of "friendship and solidarity" with the people of the city devastated by an IRA bomb three weeks ago.
In a withering condemnation of the IRA, Mrs Robinson said the attack "on a civilian population" was not perpetrated "in the name of any Irishness I represent as "President of Ireland".
After meeting civic and commercial leaders and victims of the bomb, the President inspected the damage caused to Manchester Cathedral and lit a candle for peace.
Mrs Robinson told a packed press conference at the end of her visit. "I am not involved in the political process. But perhaps that allows me to say it is too important to be left to politicians.
"We all have some part to play. (There is a determination in the people of Northern Ireland. They deserve peace and I hope and pray they will get it. Setbacks such as this should, if anything, renew a commitment to help with consolidating a sustainable peace in Northern Ireland."
While the President preferred use the language of reconciliation to that of condemnation, she said she hoped her visit to Manchester would change people who might have had sympathy for the amen of violence.
Mrs Robinson spoke of her "devastation and anger" on hearing of the IRA attack during her visit to the US. She had resolved to visit the city, not least because of the warmth of the welcome she had received last March and her sense of Irish integration" in the city's life.
After meeting bomb victims, "including small traders struggling to reopen their businesses, the President spoke of the "extraordinary sense of resilience and determination" of the people of Manchester.
"They [the IRA] have put small businesses out of action. They have hurt a small child and scarred other people emotionally. It is being able to tell that story and, perhaps, change minds that I hope will bring peace and reconciliation."
The child Mrs Robinson referred to is seven month old Sam Hughes, seen by millions on news footage being carried by a security guard from the scene of the explosion as his distraught mother looked on.
After meeting Sam and his parents, Liza and Perry, the President said. "It is very harrowing for any parent of a child caught up in that way. I was expressing my sympathy. It was a terrifying experience but Sam seems to be over it, although his hand is still scarred."