‘Mabuhay!’— Tagalog for ‘Welcome’— echoed through North Earl Street as Dublin’s Filipino community crowded around the city’s Portal, waving the Filipino flags at the glowing circular screen. “That’s my sister waving — the one wearing the maroon shirt,” Mara says, smiling. Her sister works just “one street away” from the newly opened Portal in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Manila. “It feels good to see a part of the Philippines in Dublin,” Mara says. While her sister has often seen Dublin through video calls, the Portal now allows her to witness the city live, in real time.

Source: Irish Independent January 22, 2026 21:02 UTC