Sci-fi-like Portal Links Dublin to NYC; Some Find Overseas Dates, Others See Family Members

NYC’s newest tech installation is a livestream video “portal” that now connects from a park in the Flatiron District to Dublin, Ireland The portal, which went live on May 8, is an art installation with the end goal of bringing the world closer together.

The New York City portal, which will be up through the fall, was installed in Flatiron District at the junction of Broadway, Fifth Avenue and 23rd street while the portal in Dublin is at the corner of North Earl Street and O’Connell Street, the city’s main street. The 3.5-ton part interactive sculpture and part webcam that is providing a 24-hour livestream the two global cities is presented locally by Flatiron NoMad Partnership in collaboration with the Simons Foundation and New York City Department of Transportation Art Program.

The portal connection between New York City and Dublin will run Through the fall of 2024 there will be scheduled programming, including cultural performances at each city’s portal that will be enjoyed by people in the other city via the livestream. Programming will kick-off in mid-May with a visual program to celebrate New York Design Week Festival, according to a statement.

“It is a delight to celebrate the opening of this captivating installation and see two vibrant global cities connected in real time,” New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement. “We encourage New Yorkers and tourists alike to visit The Portal and experience this unique shared encounter across the Atlantic. We are grateful to the City of Dublin, the Flatiron NoMad Partnership, and the Simons Foundation for bringing this vision to fruition.”

The livestream provides a window between distant locations, allowing people to meet outside of their social circles and cultures, transcend geographical boundaries, and embrace the beauty of global interconnectedness,” Portals founder and artist Benediktas Gylys, said in a statement.

Sources claim that the portal was used to show graphic content from mischief-makers on Ireland’s side flashing everything from their bare bums to swastikas and a photo of the Twin Towers in flames on 9/11, The New York Post previously reported.

“I thought it [that graphic content] was disgusting,” Mora Cevasco, who is from Argentina visiting New York said about the nudity she read about in the news. “It completely ruins the experience, and there should be a ban on the derogatory material.”

Ava Louise, an Only Fans model posted a video on Sunday that showed her flashing her breasts from the American side. “I thought the people of Dublin deserved to see two New York homegrown potatoes,” the Post quotes her as stating on her video, which showed her lifting her tank top in front of the portal.

Luckily, there doesn’t seem like there was any bad behavior evident on May 13 when Straus News stopped by. New Yorkers were simply enjoying the portal experience, finding a connection with those in Ireland.

“Dublin has a small population of around 1 million, so to be able to see the large city of the Big Apple through a portal is special,” Tony Smith, an Irish native, and current New Yorker, told Straus News. “It’s [The portal] a great connection that I’m sure those in Dublin can appreciate.”

“I do think that if people in Dublin could say anything to New Yorkers they would say, ‘come visit!’ and just be very friendly to New Yorkers,” Smith added.

Some New Yorkers wanted a deeper connection to those on the other side of the screen.

“It would be nice to talk to someone who lives there on the other side,” Kosta Graf, a New Yorker said, thinking out loud of the improvements that could be made to the portal.

Shortly after, the portal became a dating opportunity for Graf, as he connected with an Irish girl via the portal. She held up numbers from her fingers gesturing her phone number to Graf. Graf then took his phone — and flashed his Instagram handle on the screen, so the two could connect further.

“I got her number,” Graf said grinning.

Some New Yorkers connected with their family via portal.

“Oh, look that’s my brother,” Olivia Ncuso said as she ran to the screen, pointing at him, in excitement. “That’s Daniel and his boyfriend Jack.”

Ncuso and her brother are from Australia. She is visiting New York City, and her brother was visiting Dublin on May 13. The two haven’t seen each other in 2 months, so they planned the connection. Daniel sent her the link to the portal on Instagram, and they were able to reunite.

Soon enough, an inflatable unicorn showed up on the New York side on the portal with a sign that read “teach me your fav dance move,” and a cardboard cutout of Hozier, an Irish musician, who’s known for his debut single “Take me to Church,” (2013), which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, standing beside it.

“I don’t think it’s real [the portal] — I’ve never seen something like this before,” Betty Poder Mimss, a New Yorker for many years, said. “If it is real, it’s nice to be part of the history. It’s so cool that we can see the other side of the world in real time.”

“It’s like something out of a science fiction film,” Horea el bardi, a French native visiting New York City, translated from French, said. “It’s awesome.”

“They should continue putting the portals around the city, one to Tokyo, to Paris, to Brazil,” el bardi added.