A theoretical and experimental investigation of the stability of the viscoelastic flow of a Boger fluid between eccentric cylinders is presented. In our theoretical study, a local linear stability analysis for the flow of an Oldroyd-B fluid suggests that the flow is elastically unstable for all eccentricities. A global solution to the stability problem is obtained by a perturbation eigenvalue analysis, incorporating the azimuthal variation of the base state flow at the same order as the streamwise variation of the stability function. A comparison between the local and global stability predictions is made. Flow visualization experiments with a solution of high molecular weight polyisobutylene dissolved in a viscous solvent clearly show the transition from a purely azimuthal flow to a secondary toroidal flow. Comparison of these experimental results with the local linear stability theory shows good agreement between the measured and predicted critical conditions for the onset of the non-inertial cellular instability at small delta, where delta is the eccentricity made dimensionless with the average gap thickness. At higher eccentricities, experiment and local linear stability theory cease to agree. Evidence will be given that this disagreement is due to a global affect, i.e. the convection of stress not included the local theory. Specifically, it is suggested that convection of polymeric stresses in the base flow as well as in the disturbance flow can stabilize the instabilities found in this geometry. Finally, the discovery of a new localized purely elastic instability associated with the recirculation flow in the co-rotating eccentric cylinder geometry is presented.