Everything you need to know about the changes to the Dublin portal: from reduced opening hours to live monitoring

May 30, 2024

The portal between Dublin and New York has been making headlines all around the world since it launched exactly two weeks ago.

In Dublin, we’ve had people mooning the camera, sticking up their fingers, throwing eggs, throwing a Deliveroo driver’s bike into it and showing a picture of the Twin Towers burning, a terrorist attack that killed thousands.

This has resulted in some changes to the portal.

“As humans we are creating the portal experience together,” Portals.org artist and founder Benediktas Gylys said.

“I invite local communities not only to enjoy but to care about their portals and how other community members are approaching the sculptures.”

What are the new opening hours?

The portal will have restricted 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.

Why was it decided to locate the portal on North Earl Street?

According to Dublin City Council, several key factors came into play, including access to power, access to Wi-Fi, adequate space to accommodate visitors, the existing level of pedestrian footfall and the “vista of the iconic GPO and Spire together are inspiring”. A combination of all these factors are present at this site, and this site only.

Were there any concerns prior to the unveiling of the portal?

There were no concerns on the NYC or Dublin side about people climbing onto the art sculpture or interfering with the camera lens, according to DCC. This view was supported by the fact that there were two portals in existence operating for two years without incident.

Read more here.