Local firms and global reach: Business air travel and the Irish software cluster

We study the external linkages of clusters through a typology of forms of temporary proximity (from foreign business meetings to co-located projects). We suggest that here business air travel and information and communication technologies have given significant advantages to small firms. We investigate these arguments through a case study of the Irish software industry in Dublin. Comparing indigenous and multinational corporation (MNC) firms confirms that indigenous firms are as travel intensive as MNCs but are linked to fewer destinations. We conclude that air travel enables small firms to go global without the support of collective cluster institutions.