Privacy Policy - Last updated: 29 October 2026

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1. Who we are

The Irish Connection is an Irish heritage and lifestyle brand celebrating the stories, traditions, culture and connections that bring people closer to Ireland.

Our website shares Irish folklore, storytelling, community updates and information about our collections of Irish-inspired gifts and lifestyle products.

This website is operated by THE IRISH CONNECTION LTD, a private limited company registered in England and Wales under company number 16938557.

Registered office:

307 Cotton Exchange Building

Old Hall Street

Liverpool

England

L3 9LQ

Website: https://theirishconnection.co.uk

Email: hello@theirishconnection.co.uk

THE IRISH CONNECTION LTD is the data controller responsible for personal information collected through our website and services.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling personal information responsibly in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with The Irish Connection, we may collect:

• Contact information: Your name, email address and any contact details you choose to provide.
• Enquiry information: Messages, correspondence and information submitted through our website contact form or by email.
• Subscription information: Your email address, subscription preferences and records of your marketing consent.
• Community contributions: Stories, memories, photographs or other material you voluntarily submit for consideration.
• Website information: Technical information such as IP address, browser details and information collected through cookies or similar technologies, where applicable.
• Purchase information: When online purchasing becomes available, information necessary to process orders, arrange delivery and provide customer support.

We aim to collect only the information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information to:

• Respond to enquiries and correspondence.
• Manage subscriptions to our newsletters and community updates.
• Share Irish stories, folklore, Journal articles and information about new collections.
• Provide information about product launches, promotions and offers where you have agreed to receive marketing.
• Consider and respond to community stories or contributions.
• Operate, maintain and protect our website.
• Fulfil customer orders and provide related services when online purchasing is available.
• Comply with legal, regulatory and accounting obligations.

We do not sell your personal information.

4. Our Legal Bases for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases where appropriate:

• Consent: Where you voluntarily subscribe to marketing communications or where consent is required for cookies or other processing.
• Legitimate interests: Where necessary to respond to enquiries, maintain the security of our website, manage our business and communicate with individuals who contact us, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Contract: Where processing is necessary to fulfil an order or take steps you request before entering into a contract.
• Legal obligation: Where information must be retained or processed to meet applicable legal requirements.

We assess the appropriate lawful basis according to the particular activity.

5. Email Newsletters and Mailchimp

We use Mailchimp to help manage our mailing list and distribute newsletters and updates.

If you subscribe, we may send you:

• Irish folklore, heritage stories and Journal highlights.
• Behind the Flame storytelling updates.
• News about The Irish Connection and our community.
• Product launches, new collections and exclusive offers.
• Occasional promotions and subscriber opportunities.

We may use information provided during sign-up, together with email engagement information available through Mailchimp, to manage our communications and understand which content is useful to subscribers.

You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link included in our marketing emails or by contacting us directly.

Mailchimp's privacy information is available at https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/.

6. Contact Forms and Correspondence

When you contact us through our website or by email, we use the information you provide to respond to your enquiry and manage any necessary follow-up.

Contacting us does not automatically subscribe you to our marketing mailing list.

Please avoid submitting sensitive personal information unless it is necessary for your enquiry.

7. Stories and Community Contributions

We welcome stories, memories and reflections connected with Ireland.

If you submit a story, photograph or other contribution, we may use your contact information to discuss the submission and request permission before publishing material that identifies you.

We will not treat submitting a story as automatic permission to publish your personal information.

Where material is approved for publication, we will explain how it is intended to be used.

8. Online Shopping and Payments

The Irish Connection is developing its online retail offering.

When online purchasing is available, we may process information necessary to:

• Accept and manage orders.
• Arrange payment through our payment service providers.
• Deliver purchased products.
• Respond to customer service enquiries.
• Manage returns, refunds and other contractual obligations.
• Maintain legally required business and financial records.

We do not intend to store full payment card details ourselves. Payment processing arrangements and relevant third-party providers will be identified when the purchasing service is operational.

9. Cookies and Website Technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to support its operation, maintain security and provide website functionality.

Depending on the services enabled, these technologies may also support analytics, embedded content, customer communications or online shopping.

Where legally required, we will seek your consent before placing or accessing non-essential cookies.

Further information about the cookies used, their purposes and your available choices will be provided through our cookie information and any applicable consent controls.

You can also manage certain cookies through your browser settings.

10. Sharing Your Information

We may share personal information with trusted service providers where necessary to operate our business.

These may include:

• Website hosting and website management providers.
• Mailchimp, for email marketing.
• Technology and communications service providers.
• Payment, ecommerce and delivery providers when our online shop is operational.
• Professional advisers and relevant authorities where required.

We require service providers handling personal information on our behalf to apply appropriate protections.

We do not sell personal data to third parties.

11. International Data Transfers

Some technology and service providers may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take steps to ensure that an appropriate transfer mechanism or safeguard applies, as required by UK data protection law.

This may include transfers to countries covered by UK adequacy regulations or the use of approved contractual safeguards.

12. How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including any applicable legal requirements.

Our approach includes:

• Mailing list information: Generally retained while you remain subscribed, with limited records retained where necessary to respect unsubscribe requests.
• Contact enquiries: Retained for the period reasonably necessary to respond and manage relevant follow-up or business records.
• Community contributions: Retained according to the purpose of the submission and any agreed publication arrangements.
• Purchase and transaction records: When sales begin, retained as necessary for customer service, accounting, tax and other legal obligations.

When information is no longer required, we will delete it or anonymise it where appropriate.

13. Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances, you have the right to:

• Request access to personal information we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Request deletion of personal information.
• Request restriction of processing.
• Object to certain processing, including direct marketing.
• Request transfer of certain personal information to another provider.
• Withdraw consent where we rely on consent.
• Complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

These rights are subject to applicable legal conditions and exceptions.

To exercise your rights, email hello@theirishconnection.co.uk.

You can also contact the ICO through its website at https://ico.org.uk.

14. Keeping Your Information Secure

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse or disclosure.

We limit access to personal information to those who have a legitimate business need to use it.

Although we take security seriously, no method of transmitting information over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as The Irish Connection develops, including when we introduce additional products, ecommerce facilities, subscriptions or other services.

The latest version will be published on this page with an updated revision date.

16. Contact Us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is handled, please contact:

THE IRISH CONNECTION LTD

307 Cotton Exchange Building

Old Hall Street

Liverpool

England

L3 9LQ

Email: hello@theirishconnection.co.uk

At The Irish Connection, trust matters. We respect the personal stories, memories and connections shared with us and aim to handle your information with care.