In the spring of 2020, performers of traditional Irish music responded to pandemicinducedsocial distancing by creating a new variant of an old tradition: the virtual Irish session. Unlike conventional pub sessions, virtual sessions occur entirely in virtual space, facilitated by conferencing applications like Zoom or YouTube livestreaming. The move to virtual sessions presents numerous challenges to the traditional structure and norms of Irish traditional music. This thesis will explore the strategies and motivations of Irish musicians as they have adapted to the conditions of COVID-19 and isolation. Maintaining an authentic practice within the auspices of technological innovation involves the negotiation of geography, ethnicity, and selective tradition in a complex social space. This work is based in large part on ethnographic research conducted between March and December of 2020, including both in-person interviews and Internet ethnography. Interviews were conducted with musicians in Austin, Texas; Portland, Maine; Seattle, Washington; and Boston, Massachusetts.
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