What are cookies and why do we use them?

A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer’s hard drive.
Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to enhance your experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our website.
You can block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you set your browser to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our website.

Monaghan County Council uses cookies for the purpose of storing and retrieving session information in respect of our on-line systems and for analysing traffic on our website.
The types of cookies we use

There are four types of cookies used on the Monaghan County Council website:

1. Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around Monaghan County Council’s website and use its features. The type of personal data collected through these cookies includes your IP address; location data and the fact that you are logged into our website. These cookies are deleted when you close your browser and do not store your preferences or information beyond your current visit. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website.

2. Performance or Analytical Cookies

These cookies collect information about Monaghan County Council’s website usage. For example, Monaghan County Council uses Google Analytics to track anonymized usage statistics for the site. This data is used to analyse how frequently people visit the site, how the website is found, and which pages are most frequently viewed.
These cookies do not collect information that identifies an individual website user. Instead they collect browser information and anonymised data for the reasons set out above. This information is combined with data from thousands of other users to create an overall view of website use and users are never identified individually or personally. These cookies are only used to identify ways to improve the website.

Performance Cookies remain on your device for varying periods of time with some deleted when you close your browser and others remaining on your device indefinitely until deleted.
To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites please visit: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

For more information about Google Analytics, and the cookies it sets, please visit: https://developers.google.com/analytics/resources/concepts/gaConceptsCookies.

3. Functionality Cookies

These cookies allow us to recognise you and remember choices you make (such as choice of language or mobile device preferences) when you return to our website. In order to provide these features, these cookies do collect your personal information. Usually functionality cookies expire after a maximum of 2 years and can be deleted from your browser history at any time up to the point of their expiry.

4. Advertising or Targeting Cookies

We use cookies set by third parties which are used to deliver advertisements to you, based on your preferences and interests and to measure the effectiveness of online advertising campaigns. For example, for measuring how many unique browsers have seen a particular advertisement and how many of those subsequently visit the website. Each have their own privacy policy which will tell you how they use cookies and data tags.

You can opt out of one or all third party Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA) cookies on the web browser you are currently using with an “opt-out cookie” by visiting http://www.youronlinechoices.com/ie/your-ad-choices.

The below table summarises the cookies we use:

Enabling/Disabling Cookies

Most browsers automatically accept cookies. You have the ability to accept or decline cookies or request that you be warned when a website is trying to install a cookie. This can be done by modifying the settings in your browser. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of some parts of this website.
For more information about managing cookies and how to stop cookies being installed visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/

Contact information

If you have any queries in relation to this Notice, please contact us at dataprotectionofficer@monaghancoco.ie or by writing to us at Monaghan County Council, County Offices, The Glen, Monaghan.