Cookie Policy

Last Updated: June 30, 2026

1. Introduction

Irish Ferries ("we", "us", "our") operates the website irirshferries.com and is committed to being transparent about how we collect and use data. This Cookie Policy forms part of our broader Privacy Policy and should be read alongside it. We are committed to complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Data Protection Acts 1988–2018, the ePrivacy Regulations (SI 336 of 2011), and all other applicable Irish and EU legislation governing the use of cookies and online tracking technologies.

Our Data Protection Commission (DPC) supervisory authority is the Irish Data Protection Commission, located at 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28, Ireland. We encourage you to read this policy carefully so that you understand your choices when it comes to cookies and how you can manage your preferences.

2. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, tablet, smartphone, or other internet-enabled device when you visit a website. They are widely used by website owners to make their websites work, to work more efficiently, and to provide reporting information. Cookies allow a website to recognise your device, remember your preferences, and generally improve your browsing experience.

Cookies set by the website owner (in this case, Irish Ferries) are called first-party cookies. Cookies set by parties other than the website owner are called third-party cookies. Third-party cookies enable third-party features or functionality to be provided on or through the website, such as advertising, interactive content, and analytics. The parties that set these third-party cookies can recognise your device both when it visits the website in question and also when it visits certain other websites.

Cookies can remain on your device for different lengths of time. Session cookies exist only while your browser is open and are deleted automatically once you close your browser. Persistent cookies survive after your browser is closed and can be used by websites to recognise your device when you open your browser and browse the internet again.

3. Why Do We Use Cookies?

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies for a variety of reasons, including:

  • To ensure our website functions correctly and securely
  • To remember your preferences and settings (such as language and currency)
  • To understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it
  • To show you relevant advertising on our website and across other websites
  • To facilitate booking and travel management services
  • To measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns
  • To prevent fraud and enhance the security of our services

Under Irish and EU law, cookies that are strictly necessary for the provision of a service you have requested do not require your prior consent. All other cookies — including analytics, functional, and advertising cookies — require your informed consent before being placed on your device. We obtain this consent through our cookie consent banner displayed upon your first visit to irirshferries.com.

4. Types of Cookies We Use

4.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential for you to browse our website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas and completing a ferry booking. Without these cookies, services you have asked for, such as booking a ferry ticket, cannot be provided. These cookies do not gather information about you that could be used for marketing or to remember where you have been on the internet. Because these cookies are strictly necessary for the delivery of our services, they are placed on your device without your prior consent, as permitted under the ePrivacy Regulations.

4.2 Analytics and Performance Cookies

These cookies collect information about how visitors use our website. For example, they tell us which pages visitors go to most often, how long they spend on those pages, and whether they receive error messages. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and therefore anonymous — it is used to improve our website's performance and usability. We use Google Analytics as our primary analytics provider. You can opt out of Google Analytics at any time using the tools described in Section 7 of this policy.

4.3 Functional Cookies

These cookies allow our website to remember choices you make (such as your preferred language, the region you are in, and your login details) and provide enhanced, more personal features. For example, functional cookies may be used to remember your cabin preferences or your chosen departure port. They may also be used to provide services you have asked for. The information these cookies collect may be anonymised and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

4.4 Advertising and Targeting Cookies

These cookies are used to deliver advertisements that are relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as to help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations, such as advertisers. Quite often, targeting or advertising cookies will be linked to website functionality provided by other organisations. Examples include Google Ads and similar platforms.

5. Specific Cookies Used on irirshferries.com

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

Cookie Name Provider Type Purpose Duration
_ga Google Analytics Analytics Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. Used to distinguish users and track sessions across pages. 2 years
_gid Google Analytics Analytics Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. Distinguishes users on a daily basis. 24 hours
_gat Google Analytics Analytics Used by Google Analytics to throttle request rates, limiting the collection of data on high-traffic sites. 1 minute
_gcl_au Google Ads Advertising Used by Google AdSense to experiment with advertisement efficiency across websites using their services. Stores and tracks conversions from Google Ads. 3 months
cookie_consent Irish Ferries (First-Party) Strictly Necessary Stores the user's cookie consent preferences so they are not asked again on every page visit. 12 months
session_id Irish Ferries (First-Party) Strictly Necessary Maintains user session state throughout the website, enabling secure navigation and booking completion. Session
booking_token Irish Ferries (First-Party) Strictly Necessary Preserves booking information during the reservation process to ensure a seamless checkout experience. Session
language_pref Irish Ferries (First-Party) Functional Remembers the user's preferred language selection so that the website is displayed in the correct language on return visits. 6 months
currency_pref Irish Ferries (First-Party) Functional Remembers the user's preferred currency so that prices are displayed correctly on subsequent visits. 6 months
route_pref Irish Ferries (First-Party) Functional Stores the user's most recently searched ferry route to personalise the homepage and route selection. 30 days
_fbp Facebook / Meta Advertising Used by Facebook to deliver a series of advertisement products such as real-time bidding from third-party advertisers. Tracks user visits across websites. 3 months
IDE Google DoubleClick Advertising Used by Google DoubleClick to register and report the website user's actions after viewing or clicking one of the advertiser's advertisements, with the purpose of measuring the efficacy of an advertisement. 1 year
CONSENT Google Strictly Necessary Stores the user's consent status for cookies in Google's systems for the current domain. 2 years
NID Google Advertising Registers a unique ID that identifies a returning user's device. The ID is used for targeted advertisements. 6 months
__utmz Google Analytics Analytics Collects data on where the user came from, what search engine was used, what link was clicked, and what search term was used. Used to calculate traffic statistics. 6 months

Please note: This table is updated periodically to reflect the most current cookie usage on our website. Third-party cookies may be updated by their respective providers at any time. We recommend reviewing this policy regularly for the most up-to-date information.

6. Your Cookie Consent Choices

In accordance with the GDPR and the ePrivacy Regulations (SI 336 of 2011), we are required to obtain your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device. When you first visit irirshferries.com, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner that allows you to:

  • Accept all cookies — allowing us to place all categories of cookies described in this policy
  • Reject non-essential cookies — allowing only strictly necessary cookies to be placed
  • Customise your preferences — selecting which categories of cookies you accept (analytics, functional, advertising)

You may withdraw or change your cookie consent at any time by clicking the "Cookie Preferences" link in the footer of our website. Please note that withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out on the basis of consent given before the withdrawal.

7. How to Manage and Disable Cookies Through Your Browser

In addition to the consent tools we provide, most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can set your browser to refuse cookies, delete existing cookies, or alert you before a cookie is placed. The methods for doing this vary from browser to browser, and from version to version. You can obtain up-to-date information about managing cookies in your specific browser by visiting the browser developer's help pages:

Please be aware that if you use different devices to access our website (e.g., your computer, smartphone, and tablet), you will need to ensure that each browser on each device is adjusted to suit your cookie preferences.

8. Third-Party Opt-Out Tools

In addition to managing cookies through your browser, you can use the following opt-out tools provided by third-party services to limit how your data is used for targeted advertising and analytics:

8.1 Google Analytics Opt-Out

To prevent your data from being collected by Google Analytics, you can install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. This add-on instructs the Google Analytics JavaScript to prohibit sending information to Google Analytics. The add-on is available at:
https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

8.2 Google Ads and DoubleClick Opt-Out

To opt out of personalised advertising served by Google Ads and DoubleClick, visit Google's Ad Settings page:
https://adssettings.google.com

8.3 Facebook / Meta Opt-Out

To manage your advertising preferences on Facebook (including the use of the _fbp cookie), visit your Facebook Ad Preferences:
https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads

8.4 Your Online Choices (European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance)

You can also use the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) Your Online Choices tool to opt out of interest-based advertising from participating companies:
https://www.youronlinechoices.eu

8.5 Network Advertising Initiative Opt-Out

US-based users can also use the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out tool:
https://optout.networkadvertising.org

9. Impact of Disabling Cookies

If you choose to disable or block cookies, the following impacts may be experienced on irirshferries.com:

  • Strictly Necessary Cookies Disabled: You may be unable to complete a ferry booking, access your account, or use secure areas of the website. Core website functionality may be significantly impaired or completely unavailable.
  • Functional Cookies Disabled: Your language and currency preferences will not be remembered between sessions. You may need to re-enter preferences each time you visit our website. Personalised route recommendations will not be available.
  • Analytics Cookies Disabled: We will be unable to understand how you use our website, which may limit our ability to improve and optimise our services. Your experience as an individual user will not be directly affected.
  • Advertising Cookies Disabled: You will still see advertisements, but they will be less relevant to your interests and travel behaviour. You may see repeated advertisements for services you have already viewed or booked.

We respect your right to control cookies on your device, and we will always endeavour to provide the best possible experience within the limitations of your chosen cookie preferences. Refusing non-essential cookies will not prevent you from using our core booking and travel management services, provided that strictly necessary cookies remain enabled.

10. 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 under 16. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us immediately using the details provided in Section 12 of this policy so that we can take appropriate action.

11. Changes to This Cookie Policy

We reserve the right to update or modify this Cookie Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for any other operational reason. When we make material changes to this policy, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you via a prominent notice on our website or by email.

We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies and related technologies. Your continued use of irirshferries.com after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms, to the extent permitted by applicable Irish and EU law.

12. Legal Basis for Cookie Use

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

  • General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — Regulation (EU) 2016/679: Provides the overarching framework for processing personal data collected through cookies.
  • Data Protection Acts 1988–2018: Irish national legislation supplementing and implementing the GDPR.
  • European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Privacy and Electronic Communications) Regulations 2011 (SI 336 of 2011): The Irish ePrivacy Regulations that specifically govern the use of cookies and require informed consent for non-essential cookies.

We rely on your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR) as the lawful basis for placing non-essential cookies. We rely on our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR) and the provision of a service requested by you for strictly necessary cookies, as permitted under the ePrivacy Regulations. You have the right to withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Cookie Policy, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights under applicable data protection law, please contact us using the following details:

Irish Ferries — Cookie Policy Enquiries

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) if you believe your rights under GDPR or the ePrivacy Regulations have been infringed:

Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC)
  • Address: 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28, Ireland
  • Phone: +353 1 765 0100
  • Website: www.dataprotection.ie

This Cookie Policy was last reviewed and updated on June 30, 2026. © 2026 Irish Ferries. All rights reserved. Operated in compliance with Irish and EU data protection law.