NYC to Dublin 'portal' reopens after temporarily closing

Amanda Geffner
·2 min read

NEW YORK CITY - The NYC to Dublin "portal" reopened Sunday after temporarily closing due to bad behavior by users.

The livestream restarted at 9 a.m. in New York City and 2 p.m. in Dublin.

"We are pleased to announce that the Portal connecting New York City and Dublin has reawakened," Portals.org, Dublin City Council, and the Flatiron NoMad Partnership said in a joint statement.

The portal, located at the corner of 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District, has seen people connect with others in another country in real-time across thousands of miles in the form of greetings, messages shared, a proposal, and even an exhibition of Irish dancing.

RELATED: NYC's 'Portal' to Dublin to temporarily close after incidents of joy, mischief, occasional nudity

On-site security will continue during all hours of operation, as it has had since the Portal debuted. Additionally, fencing has been installed in front of the New York Portal and more signage and spacing decals have been added to assist with crowd management and guide visitors to the optimal spots for interacting with the Portal.

<div>People pass a video "Portal" art installation connecting New York City and Dublin, Ireland via a 24/7 video livestream which sits temporarily shut down in the Flatiron Plaza on May 15, 2024 in New York City. The "Portal", a Flatiron NoMad Partnership, has been temporarily shut down after two weeks for "inappropriate behavior" from a small group of individuals on both sides of the Atlantic. The livestream will once again be opened by the end of the week. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)</div>

According to the BBC, the Dublin City Council has announced that changes are being made to the way the installation will operate due to individuals engaging in "inappropriate behavior."

Videos circulating online included clips of a man mooning the portal, others pretending to take drugs, and images of the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers.

The New York Post reported that the portal was briefly closed last Sunday after an Instagram model flashed her breasts to the portal.

Despite the issues, organizers insist that the troublemakers represent a small fraction of the people engaging with the portal.

"There's been a .1% interaction that includes some hateful messages, some nudity, and that ruins it for everyone," said James Mettham, President of the Flatiron Nomad Partnership. "So we're working closely with the portal team and the City Council in Ireland to figure out ways to make sure we can continue to show this. The vast majority are really enjoying the fact that they can peer into the city like this."

Note: The Portal will have specific hours of operation for the coming weeks with the livestream running daily from 6 a.m.-4 p.m. in New York City and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. in Dublin.