Portal that connects New York and Dublin in real-time is going horribly wrong

The portal that connects New York City and Dublin in real-time is going horribly wrong.

You’ll have seen it at least once by now if you’ve spent any time on TikTok over the weekend.

What started off as a sweet idea, connecting the US and Ireland cities, seems to be having some nightmare outcomes. It’s a real, cue your mum’s voice, ‘we just can’t have nice things, can we?’ type of moment.

Like something out of a sci-fi film, ‘The Portal’ offers a real-time, visual live stream to the public in the two iconic locations. Dublin City Council launched the sculpture on 8 May as part of its designation as this year’s European Capital of Smart Tourism.

Founded by a Lithuanian artist, ‘Portals’ are supposed to allow people to ‘meet outside of their social circles and cultures’ and act as a ‘bridge to a united planet’.

Except, what seems to be happening on social media isn’t the most traditional take on friendly and certainly isn’t so ‘united’.

Instead, viral videos show people in Dublin holding up photos of the 9/11 terrorist attacks as people watch on live in New York in absolute horror.

Reacting to that clip on X, users asked: “Who thought a portal would be a good idea?”

As one even said: “One thing for sure is hate always gonna bring people together.”

There was another viral video that showed a reportedly drunk woman, ‘grinding’ her bum on the portal before having to be moved away by police.

Other reports say there was a man totally flashing his bare bum to New Yorkers, people giving the middle finger and a person showing a swastika on their phone – ah, yes, a ‘united planet’.

Although, a woman from Queens told the New York Post she was surprised the behaviour hasn’t been even worse.

“Irish people just want to stir things up. They like to create controversy. It’s not that it’s serious, it’s for fun. Just somebody wanting a reaction,” she said.

Obviously, there have been some more positive moments, with TikTokers capturing the moment they’ve waved at their friend from across the world or performers dancing in time from the different countries.

A Dublin City Council spokesperson told LADbible: "The overwhelming majority of interactions are positive.

"Unfortunately, we have also been witnessing a very small minority of people engaged in inappropriate behaviour, which has been amplified through social media.

"We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming days with our partners in New York to ensure that Portals continue to deliver a positive experience for both cities and the world."

LADbible has contacted Flatiron NoMad Partnership for comment.

Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@_aelana/X/@Nerdy_Addict

Topics: Social Media, Viral, TikTok, US News, Ireland, World News

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_