Never been to New York? Teleport yourself through live portal in Dublin city centre

Never been to New York? Teleport yourself through live portal in Dublin City Centre

Adrianna Wrona

Have you ever been to New York City? Now, you can, without even leaving Dublin City – and it’s cheaper than an Aer Lingus flight.

It is due to a brand-new live portal in the heart of Dublin city, connecting the Irish capital to the Big Apple.

The portal in Dublin faces O’Connell Street at its junction with North Earl Street – capturing two iconic monuments – both the famous GPO building and the Spire.

Meanwhile, the portal in New York City has been installed on the Flatiron South Public Plaza at Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street – next to the famed Flatiron Building.

Both portals were launched this afternoon and went live simultaneously at 4.15pm.

Muskan Sahdev was holding a banner saying “Hello Mom”, as she saw her mother Purnima through the portal today, who has been living in New York City for six months.

"I waved at her and she was holding up the New York sign, it was lovely to see her!” Muskan told the Irish Independent.

“It's such an exciting concept and I feel like WhatsApp is a little bit too limiting but I can actually walk up here because I work so close by – I’ll just walk up here and meet her.

“I feel like it’s uniting people across borders and I think many mothers and daughters and families can connect. It’s a wonderful feeling.”

Deri Flood, whose daughter Aedi lives in New York, said it was “lovely to see her daughter today”.

“She's working in New York on the Grad visa – she left college last summer and she's working as an engineer. I'm an engineer as well.

"I think people will make a point of coming to it in groups and just to see each other – particularly the Irish community over in New York.

"There's a lot of young people in New York now on those grad visas. They could just turn up here and then meet their families, and have a bit of craic,” she said.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste has unveiled the sculpture this afternoon, with dancers performing in both Dublin and New York and providing visual concerts in each city.

Mr de Róiste has highlighted Dublin embracing the title of European Capital of Smart Tourism 2024.

"It shows the interconnectedness of our world,” he said.

“You can see the poignancy of it – we've had someone connecting with their mother here and with their sister.

"Despite the fact they’re only a couple of feet away, there are a million miles way across the Atlantic, but they are able to talk to them and see them through the portal.”

From July, Dubliners will be able to “travel” to other destinations through the portal, as it will connect them to cities in Poland, Brazil and Lithuania.

The portal was designed by Lithuanian artist and entrepreneur Benediktas Gylys, who said they offer an opportunity to meet fellow humans outside of your social circle and culture and provide a window between distant locations.

"From the initial two cities of Vilnius, Lithuania and Lublin, Poland, portals are now expanding to be a global network,” he said.

"This is just the beginning and our team will continue bringing portals to large cities and little towns of planet Earth.

"Portals aim to be a bridge to a united planet. I am grateful to the cities of Dublin and New York for pioneering innovation and welcoming their portal sculptures, which is a significant milestone after years of work,” he added.