Cookie Policy

Last Updated: April 20, 2026  |  Effective Date: April 20, 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to irisshferries.com. We are committed to being transparent about the technologies we use on our website. This Cookie Policy forms part of our broader Privacy Policy and explains in detail what cookies are, the types of cookies we use, why we use them, and how you can control them.

This policy applies to all pages, subdomains, and services accessible through irisshferries.com. It should be read alongside our Privacy Policy, which provides further information about how we handle your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Acts 1988–2018 as enforced in Ireland by the Data Protection Commission (DPC).

Irish and EU law — in particular the European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Privacy and Electronic Communications) Regulations 2011 (the "ePrivacy Regulations") — requires that we obtain your informed consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device. We take this obligation seriously and have structured our cookie usage accordingly.

2. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other internet-enabled device when you visit a website. They are widely used by website owners and third-party service providers to make websites work more efficiently, provide useful features, and gather information about how users interact with web pages.

Cookies do not contain executable code and generally cannot carry viruses or malware. They are stored locally on your device and can be read by the website that placed them (first-party cookies) or by third parties whose content appears on the website (third-party cookies).

Cookies serve many different functions, including:

  • Remembering your preferences and login details so you do not have to re-enter them each time you visit.
  • Helping us understand how visitors use our website so that we can improve the user experience.
  • Enabling certain features and functionality that require session state to be maintained.
  • Delivering relevant advertising and measuring the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns.

In addition to cookies, we may also use web beacons (also known as pixel tags or clear GIFs), local storage, and session storage technologies that operate in a similar way. References to "cookies" throughout this policy should be understood to include these similar technologies unless stated otherwise.

3. How Do Cookies Work?

When you visit irisshferries.com for the first time, our server sends a cookie file to your browser, which stores it on your device. On each subsequent visit, your browser sends the stored cookie back to our server, allowing the website to recognise your device and remember information about your previous visits.

Cookies can be classified in two ways:

3.1 By Duration

  • Session Cookies: These are temporary cookies that exist only for the duration of your browser session. They are automatically deleted when you close your browser. Session cookies are typically used to maintain the continuity of your visit — for example, keeping items in a shopping basket as you navigate between pages.
  • Persistent Cookies: These cookies remain on your device after you close your browser, for a defined period of time or until you manually delete them. They allow the website to recognise you on your next visit and remember your preferences.

3.2 By Origin

  • First-Party Cookies: These are set directly by irisshferries.com and can only be read by our website.
  • Third-Party Cookies: These are set by external services and partners whose content or functionality is embedded in our website, such as Google Analytics, Google Ads, and social media platforms. These third parties may use cookies to track your activity across multiple websites.

4. Categories of Cookies We Use

We use the following categories of cookies on irisshferries.com:

4.1 Strictly Necessary (Essential) Cookies

These cookies are essential for the operation of our website and cannot be switched off. They are usually set in response to actions you take that amount to a request for services — such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or completing a booking form. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information and do not require your consent under the ePrivacy Regulations.

Without these cookies, the website or certain parts of it will not function correctly. You can configure your browser to block these cookies, but doing so may cause parts of the website to stop working.

4.2 Performance and Analytics Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our website. They help us understand which pages are the most and least popular, how long users spend on each page, and how visitors navigate through the site. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and therefore anonymous.

We use Google Analytics to collect this information. Google Analytics uses cookies to track your interactions with our website and reports this data back to us. The data is used solely to improve our website and is not shared with third parties for advertising purposes through this service.

4.3 Functional Cookies

These cookies enable our website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have included on our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these features may not function properly.

4.4 Advertising and Targeting Cookies

These cookies are set through our website by our advertising partners. They may be used by those partners to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other websites. They work by uniquely identifying your browser and device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

We use Google Ads conversion tracking and remarketing features, which rely on cookies to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns and to serve relevant ads to users who have previously visited our site.

5. Specific Cookies Used on irisshferries.com

The table below provides a detailed list of the cookies currently in use on our website, including their purpose, type, and duration.

Cookie Name Provider Purpose Category Duration
cookieconsent_status irisshferries.com Stores the user's cookie consent preference so the consent banner does not appear on every page load. Strictly Necessary 1 year
PHPSESSID irisshferries.com Maintains the user's session state across page requests, enabling core website functionality such as form submission and user authentication. Strictly Necessary Session
csrf_token irisshferries.com A security cookie used to prevent Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks by verifying the legitimacy of form submissions. Strictly Necessary Session
user_prefs irisshferries.com Stores user preferences such as language selection, currency, and display settings to personalise the browsing experience. Functional 6 months
_ga Google Analytics The primary Google Analytics cookie. Used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. It is updated with each page view and used to calculate visitor, session, and campaign data for site analytics reports. Analytics 2 years
_gid Google Analytics Used to distinguish users. This cookie stores and updates a unique value for each page visited and is used to count and track page views within a 24-hour period. Analytics 24 hours
_gat Google Analytics Used to throttle the request rate to Google Analytics, limiting data collection on high-traffic websites. This helps manage the number of requests made to Google's servers. Analytics 1 minute
_gat_UA-XXXXXXXX-X Google Analytics A variation of the _gat cookie used when Google Tag Manager is in use alongside a specific Universal Analytics property. Throttles request rate. Analytics 1 minute
_gcl_au Google Ads Used by Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) to store and track conversion events. It helps measure the effectiveness of advertisements and supports Google Ads conversion tracking and remarketing features. Also used by Google AdSense for experimenting with advertisement efficiency. Advertising 3 months
IDE Google DoubleClick Used by Google's DoubleClick advertising platform to register and report user actions after viewing or clicking on one of our advertisements, with the purpose of measuring the efficacy of an advertisement and presenting targeted ads to the user. Advertising 1 year
_fbp Facebook (Meta) Used by Facebook to deliver a series of advertisement products, including real-time bidding from third-party advertisers. Helps Facebook identify browsers for the purpose of providing advertising and site analytics services. Advertising 3 months
fr Facebook (Meta) Used by Facebook to deliver, measure, and improve the relevance of ads shown to users. It contains a combination of a unique user ID and browser ID. Advertising 3 months
NID Google Registers a unique ID that identifies a returning user's device. The ID is used for targeted ads and to remember user preferences. Advertising 6 months

Please note: This table reflects cookies in use as of April 20, 2026. The cookies deployed on our website may change over time as we update our services and third-party integrations. We will update this policy accordingly.

6. How to Manage and Control Cookies

You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject non-essential cookies. You can exercise your cookie preferences through several methods described below. Please note that restricting cookies may affect the functionality and features available to you on our website.

6.1 Our Cookie Consent Banner

When you first visit irisshferries.com, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner that allows you to accept or decline different categories of cookies. You can update your preferences at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of our website.

6.2 Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically configure your browser to:

  • Notify you before a cookie is placed on your device.
  • Block all cookies or block only third-party cookies.
  • Delete all cookies when you close your browser.
  • View and delete individual cookies that are currently stored on your device.

Below are links to the cookie management pages for the most popular browsers:

For mobile devices, please refer to the settings menu of your device's operating system or your mobile browser's help documentation for guidance on managing cookies.

6.3 Opt-Out Tools Provided by Third Parties

Several of our third-party service providers offer direct opt-out mechanisms. We encourage you to make use of these tools if you wish to limit third-party tracking:

Google Analytics Opt-Out

You can prevent Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits to our website by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On, available at:

https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Google Ads Personalisation

To opt out of personalised advertising from Google, visit Google's Ads Settings page:

https://adssettings.google.com

Facebook (Meta) Ad Preferences

To control the ads you see from Facebook and Meta-owned platforms, visit your Facebook Ad Preferences page:

https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences/ad_settings

Your Online Choices (European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance)

You can opt out of interest-based advertising from multiple participating companies through the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) opt-out platform:

https://www.youronlinechoices.com

Network Advertising Initiative

The Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) also provides an opt-out tool for interest-based advertising:

https://optout.networkadvertising.org

7. Impact of Disabling Cookies

We respect your right to control cookies on your device; however, we want to ensure you are fully informed about the potential impact that disabling certain types of cookies may have on your experience of irisshferries.com.

Cookie Category Impact If Disabled
Strictly Necessary Core website functions may fail. You may be unable to submit forms, complete bookings, log in to your account, or navigate securely between pages. We strongly advise against disabling these cookies.
Analytics We will not be able to collect data about how you use our website. This means we may be less able to identify performance issues or improve your browsing experience. There is no direct impact on your ability to use the website.
Functional Your preferences (such as language, currency, or accessibility settings) will not be saved between visits. You may need to re-enter your preferences each time you visit our website.
Advertising You will still see advertisements, but they will be less relevant to your interests. You may also see the same ads repeated more frequently. Disabling these cookies does not reduce the total number of ads you see.

8. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, plug-ins, and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their cookie policies or privacy practices. We encourage you to read the privacy and cookie policies of every website you visit.

Third-party service providers integrated into our website, including but not limited to Google LLC and Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, operate under their own privacy frameworks. Where these providers are based outside the European Economic Area (EEA), they are required to implement appropriate safeguards for international data transfers in accordance with GDPR requirements, such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission.

9. Cookies and Children

Our website is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly use cookies to collect personal data from children. If you believe a child under 16 has provided personal data through our website without appropriate parental consent, please contact us immediately using the details provided below.

10. Legal Basis for Using Cookies

Our use of cookies is governed by the following legal frameworks applicable in Ireland:

  • The General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), which applies across the European Union and European Economic Area.
  • The Data Protection Acts 1988–2018, which implement and supplement the GDPR in Irish law.
  • The European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Privacy and Electronic Communications) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 336 of 2011), which implement the EU ePrivacy Directive (2002/58/EC) in Ireland and govern the use of cookies and similar technologies.

Under these regulations:

  • Strictly necessary cookies are placed on the basis of our legitimate interests in operating a functional and secure website. Consent is not required for these cookies.
  • Analytics, functional, and advertising cookies are placed only with your explicit consent, which you provide through our cookie consent banner. You may withdraw this consent at any time without detriment.

The Data Protection Commission (DPC), located at 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28, Ireland, is the lead supervisory authority for data protection matters in Ireland. You have the right to lodge a complaint with the DPC if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. You can contact the DPC at www.dataprotection.ie.

11. Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes to applicable law, or improvements to our website. When we make significant changes to this policy, we will notify you by updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, by displaying a prominent notice on our website or by contacting you directly.

We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about our use of cookies. Your continued use of irisshferries.com after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies and similar technologies, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Contact Information

We aim to respond to all legitimate cookie-related queries within 30 days of receipt. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to escalate your complaint to the Data Protection Commission (DPC) at www.dataprotection.ie.