Portal connecting NYC and Dublin, Ireland shuts down over 'inappropriate behavior'

Emily DeLetter, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read

Nearly a week after it first opened to the public, the portal art installation connecting New York City and Dublin, Ireland, via a 24/7 video livestream has temporarily shut down.

"Instances of inappropriate behavior have come from a very small minority of Portal visitors and have been amplified on social media," a Flatiron NoMad Partnership spokesperson said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Teams in New York City and Dublin are working to prevent inappropriate behavior that has appeared on both sides of the massive circular livestream portals since its opening, according to the Flatiron NoMad Partnership statement, despite New York having 24/7 on-site security and barriers since its launch.

There were two identical "portals", or art instillations, that connected the two cities separated by an ocean and more than 3,000 miles with a 24/7 live video link. The New York City portal is located in Manhattan's Flatiron District, while Dublin's is located near O'Connell Street, the city's main street.

Mispronunciation mishap: Thomas Jefferson University goes viral after announcer mispronounces names at graduation

When will the New York City/Dublin portal come back on?

The Portal in Dublin is turned on May 8, 2024 by the Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste. People there see those in New York City where another new Portal had been installed and turned on.
The Portal in Dublin is turned on May 8, 2024 by the Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste. People there see those in New York City where another new Portal had been installed and turned on.

The portals connecting New York City and Dublin will be shut down for a few days, according to an Instagram Story post from the Flatiron NoMad Partnership, which began Tuesday at 5 p.m. New York time/10 p.m. Dublin time and will be back on "by the end of this week."

The New York City and Dublin portals will run through fall of this year, Flatiron NoMad Partnership said in a May 8 press release.

What are the portals?

The organization behind the installations, Portals.org, previously set up portals in Vilnius, Lithuana, and Lublin, Poland, in May 2021. Portals founder Benediktas Gylys, a Lithuanian artist, author and entrepreneur, funded the initial project, but local groups have collaborated around Portal installations.

Contributing: Mike Snider, USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Portal connecting NYC, Dublin shut down after 'inappropriate behavior'