Cookie Policy

Last Updated: June 29, 2026 | Effective Date: June 29, 2026

Your Privacy Matters: This Cookie Policy explains how irishferrries.com uses cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit our website. By continuing to use our website, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this policy, in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Irish Data Protection Acts 1988–2018.

1. Introduction

Welcome to irishferrries.com. This Cookie Policy has been prepared to help you understand what cookies are, how we use them on our travel booking and information website, and what choices you have regarding their use. As an Irish-based travel services website, we are committed to transparency and compliance with all applicable Irish and European Union data protection laws, including the GDPR, the Data Protection Acts 1988–2018, and the ePrivacy Regulations (SI 336/2011) as amended.

This policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions, which together govern your use of our website and services. If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy, please contact us using the details provided at the end of this document.

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 across the internet to make websites work more efficiently, to enhance user experience, and to provide information to website owners about how their sites are being used.

Cookies are created by the web server that hosts a website and are delivered to your browser. Your browser stores these files and sends them back to the originating server each time you make a subsequent visit to that website. Cookies cannot execute programs or deliver viruses to your computer. They are uniquely assigned to your browser and can only be read by the web server that created them.

2.1 How Do Cookies Work?

When you visit irishferrries.com, our server sends a cookie to your browser. Your browser stores the cookie in a small file on your device. The next time you visit our website, your browser sends the stored cookie back to our server, which recognises your device. This process helps us remember your preferences, understand your browsing behaviour, and provide you with a more personalised and efficient experience when searching for ferry routes, booking tickets, and accessing travel information.

Cookies can be:

Session cookies: These are temporary cookies that are deleted from your device when you close your web browser. They are used to keep track of your movements from page to page during a single browsing session, for example when completing a ferry booking.
Persistent cookies: These cookies remain on your device for a set period of time (or until you delete them manually). They are activated each time you visit the website that created that particular cookie. They are used to remember your preferences and settings for future visits.
First-party cookies: These are cookies that are set directly by irishferrries.com on your device.
Third-party cookies: These are cookies set by external services and providers whose features or content appear on our website, such as Google Analytics or advertising platforms.

3. Why Do We Use Cookies?

We use cookies on irishferrries.com for a variety of important reasons, including:

To ensure the website functions correctly and securely
To remember your preferences and settings, such as language and currency selections relevant to your travel planning
To maintain your session while you are completing a ferry booking or browsing route information
To understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it
To deliver relevant advertising about our ferry services to you and to measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns
To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations under Irish and EU law

4. Types of Cookies We Use

We categorise the cookies used on irishferrries.com into four main types, as outlined below:

4.1 Strictly Necessary / Essential Cookies

These cookies are essential for the proper functioning of our website and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions you take, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in to your account, filling in forms, or completing a ferry booking. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information. Without these cookies, services that you have requested cannot be provided.

Under the GDPR and Irish ePrivacy regulations, strictly necessary cookies do not require your prior consent, as they are necessary for the legitimate operation of the website.

4.2 Analytics and Performance 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 visitors move around our site, and how users interact with our ferry route search and booking tools. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not be able to monitor website performance effectively.

4.3 Functional Cookies

These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. They are used to remember choices you make, such as your preferred departure port, language, or travel preferences, so that we can provide a more tailored experience. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.

4.4 Advertising and Targeting Cookies

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

5. Specific Cookies Used on irishferrries.com

The table below provides detailed information about the specific cookies used on our website:

Cookie Name	Provider	Purpose	Type	Duration
`cookieconsent_status`	irishferrries.com	Stores the user's cookie consent preference so the consent banner is not shown on every page visit.	Strictly Necessary	1 year
`PHPSESSID`	irishferrries.com	Preserves user session state across page requests during a browsing session, including ferry booking processes.	Strictly Necessary	Session
`csrf_token`	irishferrries.com	Security cookie used to prevent Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks when submitting forms or completing bookings.	Strictly Necessary	Session
`user_pref`	irishferrries.com	Remembers user preferences such as preferred departure port, language setting, and currency for a more personalised experience.	Functional	6 months
`recently_viewed`	irishferrries.com	Stores information about ferry routes and pages recently viewed by the user to provide relevant recommendations.	Functional	30 days
`_ga`	Google Analytics	The main Google Analytics cookie. Used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. Calculates visitor, session, and campaign data for site analytics reports.	Analytics	2 years
`_gid`	Google Analytics	Used by Google Analytics to distinguish users. Stores and updates a unique value for each page visited on our website.	Analytics	24 hours
`_gat`	Google Analytics	Used by Google Analytics to throttle request rates, limiting data collection on high-traffic websites to manage server load.	Analytics	1 minute
`_ga_[ID]`	Google Analytics (GA4)	Used by Google Analytics 4 to persist session state, track user interactions, and measure engagement across pages on irishferrries.com.	Analytics	2 years
`_gcl_au`	Google Ads	Used by Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) to store and track conversions from advertisements, measure ad campaign effectiveness, and enable remarketing for ferry travel services.	Advertising	90 days
`_fbp`	Facebook / Meta	Used by Facebook to deliver a series of advertisement products such as real-time bidding from third-party advertisers. Helps track conversions from Facebook Ads and enables retargeting campaigns for our ferry services.	Advertising	3 months
`_fbc`	Facebook / Meta	Stores the last Facebook click attribution for conversion tracking. Set when a user clicks on a Facebook advertisement linking to irishferrries.com.	Advertising	2 years
`IDE`	Google DoubleClick	Used by Google DoubleClick to register and report the website user's actions after viewing or clicking one of the advertiser's ads, with the purpose of measuring the effectiveness of an ad and to present targeted ads to the user.	Advertising	1 year

Note: The list above represents the primary cookies used on our website. Due to the dynamic nature of the internet, additional cookies may be introduced or removed as we update our website and services. We will update this Cookie Policy accordingly.

6. Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies on irishferrries.com are placed by third-party services that appear on our pages. We have no direct control over these third-party cookies, and their use is governed by the privacy and cookie policies of the respective third-party providers. The main third-party services we use that may place cookies on your device include:

Google LLC – For Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Maps integration (used to display port locations and ferry routes). Google's privacy policy is available at policies.google.com/privacy.
Meta Platforms Ireland Limited – For Facebook Pixel tracking and social media integration. Meta's cookie policy is available at facebook.com/policies/cookies.
YouTube (Google LLC) – If we embed travel-related videos on our website. YouTube's privacy policy is governed by Google's policies available at policies.google.com/privacy.

7. Your Cookie Choices and How to Manage Cookies

In accordance with the GDPR and the Irish Data Protection Acts 1988–2018, you have the right to withdraw your consent to non-essential cookies at any time. Below, we outline the various ways in which you can manage, restrict, or delete cookies.

7.1 Our Cookie Consent Tool

When you first visit irishferrries.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 on the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of our website.

7.2 Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can set your browser to refuse all cookies, accept only certain types of cookies, or notify you when a cookie is being set. Please note that restricting cookies may impact the functionality of irishferrries.com, including the ability to complete ferry bookings. Below are links to cookie management instructions for the most popular browsers:

Google Chrome: support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
Mozilla Firefox: support.mozilla.org – Cookies information
Apple Safari: support.apple.com – Safari cookie settings
Microsoft Edge: support.microsoft.com – Edge cookie settings
Opera: help.opera.com – Cookie settings

For information on managing cookies on mobile devices, please refer to your device manufacturer's support documentation.

7.3 Opt-Out Tools for Third-Party Cookies

You can opt out of specific third-party analytics and advertising cookies using the tools provided by those companies:

Google Analytics Opt-Out: You can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. This prevents Google Analytics from collecting information about your visits.
Google Ads Personalisation: You can manage or opt out of personalised Google advertising through Google's Ad Settings at adssettings.google.com.
Facebook / Meta Ad Preferences: You can manage your Facebook advertising preferences and opt out of interest-based advertising at facebook.com/adpreferences.
Your Online Choices (EU): The European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) provides a tool for opting out of behavioural advertising from multiple companies at once. Visit youronlinechoices.eu.
Network Advertising Initiative (NAI): Opt out of interest-based advertising from NAI member companies at optout.networkadvertising.org.
Digital Advertising Alliance: Opt out via the DAA's WebChoices tool at optout.aboutads.info.

8. Impact of Disabling Cookies

While you are free to disable or restrict cookies at any time, please be aware that doing so may affect your experience when using irishferrries.com. Specifically:

Please Note: Disabling essential cookies will significantly impair the core functionality of our website and may prevent you from completing ferry bookings or accessing your account.

Essential Cookies Disabled: The website may not function correctly. You may be unable to complete ferry reservations, log in to your account, or submit forms. Security features may also be compromised.
Functional Cookies Disabled: Your preferences, such as your preferred language and departure port, will not be remembered between visits. You may need to re-enter these settings each time you visit our website.
Analytics Cookies Disabled: We will not be able to collect information about how you use our website, which means we may be less able to identify and fix issues or improve our services for travellers.
Advertising Cookies Disabled: You will still see advertisements for our ferry services, but they will be less targeted to your interests and travel preferences. You may see more generic or irrelevant advertising from us and our advertising partners.

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 that a child under 16 has provided personal data through the use of cookies on our website, please contact us immediately using the details below so we can take appropriate action in accordance with the GDPR and Irish data protection law.

10. Updates to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes in applicable law, or improvements to our services. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date at the top. Where changes are significant, we may also notify you by email or by displaying a prominent notice on our website. We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies. Your continued use of irishferrries.com after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of those changes, subject always to your right to withdraw consent for non-essential cookies.

11. Legal Basis for Processing

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

EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2016/679 – Our primary legal framework for processing personal data collected via cookies.
Data Protection Acts 1988–2018 (Ireland) – Irish implementing legislation for GDPR requirements.
European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Privacy and Electronic Communications) Regulations 2011 (SI 336/2011) – Irish ePrivacy regulations governing the use of cookies and similar tracking technologies.

For strictly necessary cookies, our legal basis is legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR) as these are essential for the delivery of services you have requested. For all other cookies, our legal basis is your freely given, specific, and informed consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR), which you may withdraw at any time.

12. Your Data Protection Rights

Under the GDPR and the Data Protection Acts 1988–2018, you have the following rights in relation to personal data processed through cookies:

Right of Access: You have the right to obtain confirmation of whether we process personal data about you and to receive a copy of that data.
Right to Rectification: You have the right to have inaccurate personal data corrected or completed.
Right to Erasure: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to Restriction of Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
Right to Object: You have the right to object to processing of your personal data, including for direct marketing purposes.
Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact our Data Protection team using the details provided below. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) at dataprotection.ie or by post to Data Protection Commission, 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28, Ireland.

13. Contact Us

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

Contact Information

Company:	irishferrries.com
Address:	Ireland
Email:	[email protected]
Website:	www.irishferrries.com
Data Protection Authority:	Data Protection Commission (DPC) Ireland – www.dataprotection.ie

This Cookie Policy was last reviewed and updated on June 29, 2026. It applies to all users of irishferrries.com located in Ireland and the European Union. All cookie practices described herein are compliant with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Irish Data Protection Acts 1988–2018, and SI 336/2011 (ePrivacy Regulations).