Dublin and New York are now linked up by a ‘portal’ and locals are using it to flirt with strangers

Want to see what people in New York are up to without taking a flight over there? People on the streets of Dublin have been peering into the lives of New Yorkers thanks to a new ‘portal’.

The futuristic installation shows a round-the-clock livestream of the two iconic cities, and there are plans to link up other cities in the future.

Intended to mark Dublin as the European City of Smart Tourism 2024, city dwellers have been using the connection for, well, other purposes.

Read on for some of the best ways the portal has been used so far.

“We are delighted to connect Dublin with New York which we share a deep historical and cultural bond with,” says Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste, after the portal launched to a crowd of hundreds of people in Dublin on Wednesday.

“From July the Dublin Portal will also connect to other global city destinations in Poland, Brazil and Lithuania.”

The main idea behind the portal is connection. It was given the green light in Dublin as part of the city’s recent designation as European City of Smart Tourism 2024.

Hello New York! The @LordMayorDublin has officially launched 'The Portal' connecting the great cities of Dublin and New York! It's a 24/7 visual live stream, come wave to your friends, family or even complete strangers in The Big Apple! @NYC_DOT@DublinTown@LovinDublin… pic.twitter.com/xsH0b5MyIw

“Portals are an invitation to meet people above borders and differences and to experience our world as it really is—united and one,” says Benediktas Gylys, a Lithuanian artist who invented the Portal.

The portal has proved popular with Dublin locals, with crowds gathering to check out what’s happening across the ocean.

There have been some.. ahem.. interesting encounters in the 24 hours since it