Dublin-New York portal reopens with set hours after closing due to ‘inappropriate behaviour’

Portal has extra technological assets to try and prevent the misbehaviour that led to its closure

The portal linking people in Dublin and New York via a live stream has reopened with set hours following a spate of inappropriate behaviour.

The installations allowed residents of one place to see the other with heartfelt scenes including grandmothers seeing their grandchildren, performances of Irish jigs and even a proposal.

It quickly became an international sensation when the sculptures were installed earlier this month, but was switched off within a week after visitors were seen swearing, flashing, and showing inappropriate images.

Videos circulated online showed one person in Dublin taunting New-Yorkers with images of the Twin Towers on 9/11.

Another woman in Ireland was pulled away from the portal by police as she grinded against it while others displayed swear words on mobile phone screens and an Only Fans model bared her breasts.

The two way live stream connected people in New York and Ireland (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

In light of the behaviour, the portal was temporarily closed in the Irish capital, however, in a joint statement on Sunday, the council, Portals.org and Flatiron NoMad said the portal had “reawakened”.

The statement said: “The livestream restarted today at 9am in New York City and 2pm in Dublin, after a temporary pause earlier this week.

“The portal will have specific hours of operation for the coming weeks with the livestream running daily from 6am to 4pm in New York City and 11am to 9pm in Dublin.”

It was shut due to ‘inappropriate’ behaviour (PA Wire)

The council said in a statement that people experienced a “sense of joy” after the portal was opened and it drew tens of thousands of visitors.

“The overwhelming majority of people who have visited the portal sculptures have experienced the sense of joy and connectedness that these works of public art invite people to have.”

The joint statement added that the portals are “not meant to be touched or stepped upon” and that they had taken steps to stop people from holding phones up to the camera lens.

It has reopened but with set hours in a bid to avoid further problems (Niall Carson/PA Wire)

It read: “The Portals.org team has implemented a proximity-based solution. Now, if individuals step on the portal and obstruct the camera, it will trigger a blurring of the livestream for everyone on both sides of the Atlantic.

“The team will continue making updates as needed to ensure that everyone can continue to enjoy the portal.”

Additional fencing has now been installed in New York and in Dublin “physical design features” are being implemented to assist with crowd management.

Thousands of people visited the two-way livestream portal which gives a real-time view of New York after it was first opened earlier this month.

The portal is in north Dublin, facing O’Connell Street, while the American installation is in North Earl Street.