Tales from the Irish diaspora during COVID-19: Prompting a future research agenda for global mobility

The COVID-19 global pandemic raises fundamental questions about the future of global mobility. This paper considers publicly posted blog posts from members of the Irish diaspora during the early months of the global pandemic in 2020. Using real-time self-reporting blogs permitted an unobtrusive snapshot into the living experiences of members of the Irish diaspora during this time. Content analysis was undertaken on a total of fifty-nine individual blogs, and key themes across the blogs are explored. The primary theme of technology as both enabler and inhibiter is unpacked, in relation to global communication, work-life balance and working from home – anywhere in the world. A research agenda pertaining to the future of global mobility is proposed.