Privacy Policy

Effective date: 5 April 2026
Site: irishmeaning.com
Operated by: Irish Meaning

Irish Meaning is an educational website about Irish heritage, symbols, and traditions. We are not a store and we do not sell products. This policy explains what data we collect, why, and what rights you have.

Information we collect

Information you give us voluntarily

If you subscribe to our email newsletter, we collect your email address and optionally your first name. We use this only to send you occasional updates about Irish heritage content. We never sell, rent, or share your email address with third parties for their own marketing.

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of every email. Once you unsubscribe, your address is removed from our mailing list.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our site, certain data may be collected automatically by the services we use:

Analytics

We may use analytics services (such as Google Analytics 4 or privacy-focused alternatives) to understand how visitors use the site. These services may collect anonymized data including pages viewed, time on page, device type, browser, approximate location (country or region), and referral source. Analytics cookies are only set after you give consent via our cookie banner.

Cloudflare (hosting and security)

Our site is served through Cloudflare, which may process your IP address and set a cookie called __cf_bm for bot protection. This cookie is classified as strictly necessary and does not require consent. Cloudflare's privacy policy is at cloudflare.com/privacypolicy.

Google Fonts

We load typefaces from Google Fonts. When your browser requests these fonts, your IP address is sent to Google. Google's privacy policy is at policies.google.com/privacy.

YouTube embedded videos

Many pages include embedded YouTube videos using the privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com). YouTube may set cookies when you play a video. Google's privacy policy applies. We do not control what data YouTube collects during playback.

Information we do not collect

We do not operate user accounts, login systems, comment sections, forums, or any e-commerce functionality. We do not collect payment information, passwords, or billing addresses. We do not run advertising or share data with advertisers.

Cookies

A cookie is a small text file stored on your device by your browser. Here is what our site uses:

When you first visit, a banner asks whether you accept analytics cookies. If you decline, analytics scripts are never loaded. You can change your preference at any time by clearing your browser's local storage for this site.

Local storage

Our heritage quiz uses your browser's sessionStorage to remember your quiz selections (such as style preference and occasion). This data stays on your device, is never sent to our servers, and is automatically cleared when you close the browser tab.

How we use your information

• Newsletter email: to send heritage content updates you opted into
• Analytics data: to understand which pages are most useful so we can improve content
• We do not use your data for profiling, automated decision-making, or targeted advertising

Who we share data with

We do not sell your personal data. The only third parties that process data on our behalf are:

• Cloudflare — CDN and security (processes IP addresses)
• Google — Fonts and Analytics (if you consent to analytics cookies)
• Email service provider — processes newsletter subscriptions (provider named in signup form when active)
• YouTube / Google — embedded videos

Data retention

• Email addresses: kept until you unsubscribe, then deleted
• Analytics data: retained per the analytics provider's default retention period (Google Analytics: 14 months)
• Server logs: Cloudflare retains access logs for a limited period per their policy
• We do not store personal data on our own servers

Your rights

If you are in the EU or UK (GDPR / UK GDPR)

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Restrict or object to processing
• Data portability (receive your data in a machine-readable format)
• Withdraw consent at any time (for analytics cookies or newsletter)
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

Our legal basis for processing is consent (newsletter signup and analytics cookies) and legitimate interest (site security via Cloudflare).

If you are in California (CCPA / CPRA)

You have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect and why
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information — we do not sell or share your data
• Non-discrimination for exercising your rights

Children's privacy

This site is not directed at children under 13 (under COPPA) or under 16 (under GDPR). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

External links

Our articles contain links to other websites, including heritage organizations, tourism bodies, and jewelry retailers such as thecladdagh.com. These are editorial references. We do not control the privacy practices of external sites and are not responsible for their content or data collection. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing them with any personal information.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The effective date at the top of this page will be updated accordingly. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or want to exercise your data rights, please email us at: privacy@irishmeaning.com