The Portals are circular livestream screens that are located
in various cities and countries around the world. Currently, there are Portals
located in the United States, Ireland, Lithuania, Brazil, and Poland. In each
city, the Portal rotates livestreams from the other countries. There are
cameras attached to the Portals, so people viewing the streams can wave at each
other.
I live near Philadelphia, so I get to see the Portal that is
located in the United States. As someone who obviously loves Ireland and the
other Celtic countries, this Portal is super cool. Being able to see Ireland in
real-time is amazing, even though it is only through a screen. My hope is that
when I get to Dublin, I will be able to look through and see Philly from the
Dublin side.
The Philadelphia Portal was originally in New York City
before being relocated to Philadelphia’s Love Park. It now stands in the courtyard
of Philly’s City Hall. Dublin’s Portal is located on O’Connell Street near
Dublin’s Spire.
I first saw the Philadelphia Portal on Saturday, January 25,
2025. Yes, ironically, this was Robert Burns’ birthday, and I had gone to the
Rosenbach Museum’s Burns Night celebration. I took the train into the city and
when I was waiting for my Lyft ride, I glanced towards Love Park and saw the
Portal. I audibly gasped. I had wanted to see the Portal when it was in NYC,
but it did not happen.
When I was done at the Burns Night celebration, I took
another Lyft and walked to Love Park to see the Portal. I was mesmerized and in
awe of it. By this time, it was late, even in Philadelphia. It was about 9 o’clock
at night when I looked at it, meaning it was 2 am in Dublin. Surprisingly, there
were a few people out at that time, even in the cold and dark of winter.
The second time I looked at the Portal was on August 9,
2025, after it was relocated to City Hall in Philadelphia. It was a
particularly warm and sunny day, and I was there at about 12:30 pm, meaning it
was 5:30 in the evening in Dublin. There were significantly more people in both
Dublin and Philadelphia.
One thing I loved about seeing the Portal was being able to
see people in different countries, including Ireland. It was neat to see so
many different people, even within the same country. I loved waving at those
looking back at us. For a moment, people across cultures and in countries around
the world could share a moment and wave at each other, and smile at each other.
It was also cool to be able to talk to people in
Philadelphia with me who were also looking at the Portal. I had known about the
Portals, so being able to explain it to others who were unfamiliar was a neat
experience. Being able to connect with others in a city that tends to be viewed
as mean and dangerous was a lovely experience.
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-My First Burns Night: https://kiltedowl.blogspot.com/2025/01/my-first-burns-night.html
-My First St. Patrick's Day Parade: https://kiltedowl.blogspot.com/2025/03/my-first-st-patricks-day-parade.html
-My First Experience as an International Spring Festival Ireland Table Host: https://kiltedowl.blogspot.com/2025/04/my-first-experience-as-international.html