IrelandExplore.com ("we", "us", or "our") is operated by Patrick Hughes. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you visit our website.

Information We Collect

We collect information in the following ways:

  • Automatically collected data: When you visit our site, we automatically collect certain information including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, and the dates and times of your visits. This data is collected through cookies and similar technologies.
  • Information you provide: If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address. We do not collect payment information, passwords, or other sensitive personal data through this website.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics (GA4) to understand how visitors use our site. Google Analytics collects information such as how often you visit, what pages you view, and what other sites you visited before coming to ours. We use this information to improve our content and user experience. Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you visit our site, rather than your name or other identifying information. Google's ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Service and the Google Privacy Policy.

Programmatic Advertising

We use Journey by Mediavine to serve advertisements on this website. Mediavine and its advertising partners may collect and use data about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. This data may include:

  • Your IP address
  • Browser and device information
  • Pages viewed and content interacted with
  • Ad interactions (clicks, impressions)
  • Information from cookies and similar tracking technologies

Mediavine and its partners may use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to collect this data. These third-party cookies are used to deliver targeted advertising based on your interests and browsing behaviour. For more information about Mediavine's data practices, please visit the Mediavine Privacy Policy.

Opting Out of Personalised Advertising

You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting the following resources:

Affiliate Links and Third-Party Services

This site contains affiliate links to third-party services, including hotel booking platforms and tour operators. When you click an affiliate link, the third-party service may collect data about your visit in accordance with their own privacy policies. We use Stay22 to display accommodation maps and booking widgets. Stay22 may collect anonymised usage data. You can review the Stay22 Privacy Policy for more details.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by websites you visit. We use cookies for the following purposes:

  • Essential cookies: Required for the website to function properly.
  • Analytics cookies: Used by Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our site.
  • Advertising cookies: Used by Mediavine and its partners to serve relevant advertisements and measure ad performance.
  • Third-party cookies: Set by our advertising and affiliate partners for the purposes described above.

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of this website.

Your Rights Under GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

  • Right of access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to rectification: You can request that we correct any inaccurate personal data.
  • Right to erasure: You can request that we delete your personal data.
  • Right to restriction: You can request that we restrict the processing of your personal data.
  • Right to data portability: You can request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
  • Right to object: You can object to the processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below.

Your Rights Under CCPA

If you are a resident of California, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides you with the following rights:

  • Right to know: You can request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal data we have collected about you.
  • Right to delete: You can request that we delete your personal data.
  • Right to opt out: You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal data. To do so, you may use the advertising opt-out links listed above or contact us directly.
  • Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

Data Retention

We retain analytics data in accordance with Google Analytics' standard data retention settings. Newsletter subscriber data is retained until you unsubscribe. We do not store advertising data ourselves - this is managed by our advertising partners.

Children's Privacy

This website is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us so we can delete it promptly.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or wish to exercise your data rights, you can reach us through the Ireland Explore Facebook group or by contacting Patrick Hughes at irelandexplore.com.