Privacy Policy

Last updated: 22 May 2026

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how IrishHistory.com (“IrishHistory.com”, “we”, “us” or “our”) collects, uses, shares and protects your personal data when you visit and use our website at https://irishhistory.com (the “Site”) and the services we provide through it.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and to handling your personal data in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (“GDPR”), the Irish Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable data protection and electronic privacy law.

Please read this policy carefully. By using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood it.

2. Who we are (Data Controller)

For the purposes of the GDPR, the data controller responsible for your personal data is:

IrishHistory.com Email: privacy@irishhistory.com

If you have any questions about this policy or about how we handle your personal data, please contact us using the details above.

3. The personal data we collect

We collect personal data in the following ways.

3.1 Information you give us

• Account registration: your username, email address, password (stored in encrypted/hashed form), and any name you provide.
• Profile information: your display name, profile picture, a short “about me” biography, and your privacy preferences for your activity lists.
• Contributions: the places, photographs, suggested edits and cultural material (such as poems, songs or articles) you submit, together with any descriptions, locations, sources and credits you include.
• Activity lists: the places you save to your “Been There” and “Want to Visit” lists.
• Communications: the content of any messages you send us, for example by email or through a contact or submission form, including your email address and anything you choose to include.

3.2 Information we collect automatically

When you use the Site, we and our service providers may automatically collect:

• Technical and usage data: your IP address, browser type and version, device and operating system information, referring pages, and information about how you interact with the Site.
• Cookies and similar technologies: see Section 7 below.

3.3 Location data

If you choose to use location-based features such as “Near Me”, the Site may request access to your device’s approximate location in order to show places near you. This only happens with your permission, which you can grant or refuse through your browser or device, and which you can withdraw at any time.

3.4 Information from third parties

If you choose to register or log in using a third-party service, or if your contribution includes information about identifiable people (for example a photographer you are crediting), we may receive personal data from those sources.

4. How we use your personal data and our legal bases

Under the GDPR we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. We rely on the bases set out below.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal. Where we rely on legitimate interests, you have the right to object (see Section 9).

5. Information that is visible to others

Because the Site is a community project, some of your information is shown publicly. Please consider this before contributing.

• Your public profile (at an address such as /users/your-username/) displays your display name, profile picture and “about me” text, and a list of places you have contributed.
• Contributions you submit and that we publish are shown publicly, and you may be credited by your display name as the contributor.
• Contributor leaderboards on county pages show your display name and the number of places you have contributed. Leaderboard appearance is public and is not affected by your list privacy settings.
• Your “Been There” and “Want to Visit” lists are private by default. They are only shown on your public profile if you choose to make them public in your account settings. You can change this at any time.

We recommend choosing a display name and profile details you are comfortable showing publicly. You can edit or remove most of this information from your account settings, or contact us for help.

6. Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only as described below.

• Service providers (processors) who help us run the Site, such as our website hosting provider, mapping provider, email provider, and security or anti-spam services. They process personal data only on our instructions and under appropriate contractual safeguards.
• Other users and the public, to the extent described in Section 5.
• Legal and safety disclosures, where we are required to share data to comply with the law, enforce our terms, or protect the rights, safety and property of our users, the public or us.

(You should list your actual key processors here for full transparency — for example your hosting provider, your maps provider, and any analytics or email tool you use.)

7. Cookies and similar technologies

The Site uses cookies and similar technologies. Cookies are small files stored on your device that help the Site function and help us understand how it is used.

We use:

• Strictly necessary cookies, required for the Site to work (for example, to keep you logged in and to remember your preferences). These do not require consent.
• Functional, analytics or performance cookies, where used, which help us understand and improve the Site. These are only set with your consent.

Non-essential cookies are set only after you give consent, and you can change or withdraw your cookie choices at any time through our cookie settings or your browser. Most browsers also let you block or delete cookies, though doing so may affect how the Site works.

(If you use analytics, embedded maps, social logins, or anti-spam tools that set cookies, list them here with their purpose, and make sure a consent banner is in place before any non-essential cookies load.)

8. International transfers

We aim to keep your personal data within the European Economic Area (EEA) wherever possible. However, some of our service providers may store or process data outside the EEA. Where that happens, we ensure an appropriate safeguard is in place, such as a European Commission adequacy decision or Standard Contractual Clauses, so that your data continues to be protected to a standard equivalent to that required under the GDPR. You can ask us for more information about these safeguards using the contact details in Section 2.

9. Your rights

Under the GDPR you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Access — to obtain confirmation that we process your data and a copy of it.
• Rectification — to have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected.
• Erasure — to have your data deleted in certain circumstances (the “right to be forgotten”).
• Restriction — to limit how we process your data in certain circumstances.
• Data portability — to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, and to have it transmitted to another controller where technically feasible.
• Objection — to object to processing based on our legitimate interests, and to object to direct marketing at any time.
• Withdraw consent — where we rely on consent, to withdraw it at any time.
• Not to be subject to automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects. We do not carry out such automated decision-making.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 2. We will respond within one month, as required by the GDPR. We will not charge a fee unless your request is manifestly unfounded or excessive. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority. In Ireland this is the Data Protection Commission:

Data Protection Commission 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28, Ireland Website: https://www.dataprotection.ie

10. How long we keep your data

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy:

• Account and profile data is kept while your account is active. If you close your account, we will delete or anonymise your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we need to retain it to meet a legal obligation, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements.
• Published contributions (such as places, photographs and cultural material) may be retained as a permanent part of the public record of the Site even after an account is closed, although we can remove or anonymise your personal attribution on request.
• Communications and technical logs are kept for as long as needed for the relevant purpose and then deleted or anonymised.

11. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or alteration. However, no method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Children’s privacy

The Site is not intended for children. In Ireland, the digital age of consent is 16. If you are under 16, you should not create an account or provide personal data without the consent of a parent or guardian. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 16 without appropriate consent, we will take steps to delete it. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us.

13. Links to other websites

The Site may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any website you visit.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page, and, where the changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

15. Contact us

If you have any questions, concerns or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at privacy@irishhistory.com