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INTERVIEW: Mother, human rights champion, wife, women's advocate, grandmother, environmental campaigner: former president Mary Robinson jokes that she's a 'has-been' but her energy and commitment define her as a 'can-do'

IF IT WASN'T for the fact that she's such an enthralling speaker, a person could get jet- lag just listening to Mary Robinson. Her speech in Dublin earlier this week, at a conference about women, peace and conflict, was peppered with references to recent conversations she'd had in Gaza, Jordan, Rotterdam and New York, and meetings she would soon be attending in Liberia, Darfur and Paris.