The Counsels of Cormac

coverThe Counsels of Cormac : An Ancient Irish Guide to Leadership, by Thomas Cleary, from Doubleday, ISBN 0385513135. Attributed to King Cormac MacAirt, one of the greatest of the Irish High Kings - but just as relevant today as in the third century CE - this is one of the best-known classics in the Celtic tradition of instruction manuals for leadership. Thomas Cleary's highly readable translation brings the legendary king's advice to present-day readers, from a chapter outlining the "traditional prescription for a chieftain" to a charming discourse on "what is fitting for a chieftain and an alehouse."