From IrelandLiving in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain (05:57 UTC+00:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Jul 6, 2017
I was born and raised in rural Ireland in the last century, in one of the few counties (Mayo) where, alongside native English, native Gaelic in its purest form was and is still spoken. In my twenties I decided to live abroad and learn some foreign languages, including coming here to the Canaries to learn their Whistled Speech, what you and many call Silbo Gomero, and I was soon a competent whistler of speech.
Me as a Teacher
I've been successfully learning, practising and teaching languages for many years, while keeping abreast of the latest studies on language acquisition (Stephen Krashen, Steve Kauffmann. . .).
My lessons & teaching style
After many years of teacher training (Higher Diploma in Education, in the National University of Ireland, Galway, also TEFL courses in Galway, and language training here in Spain), I also studied & still study all the old and new findings on acquisition of languages, implementing the relevant strategies into my classes, incorporating the concepts of comprehensible input and high motivation at every stage, always focusing on the students' wants and needs.
My teaching material
PDF file
Text Documents
Audio files
Image files
Video files
Articles and news
Quizzes
Homework Assignments
5.0
Rating
340
Students
3,920
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
99%
Response rate
5.0
Rating
340
Students
3920
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
99%
Response rate
Silbo Gomero Lessons
Silbo Gomero
English
Gaelic (Irish)
Silbo canario
A1 - C2Language Essentials4 lessons completed
USD 24.50+
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
401 Reviews
All
Silbo Gomero
English
Colin O'Sullivan
41 Gaelic (Irish) lessons
We had a great lesson!
Feb 24, 2026
Scott Mitchell
3 Gaelic (Irish) lessons
Another great lesson, Patchy is patient as ever with me. Things are starting to stick a bit and I’m slowly becoming more comfortable making mistakes. Patchy always corrects mistakes and always praises when I’m speaking correctly.
Feb 21, 2026
Patrese
72 Gaelic (Irish) lessons
Iontach
Feb 13, 2026
Colin O'Sullivan
41 Gaelic (Irish) lessons
Patchy is a national treasure!
Feb 21, 2026
Colin O'Sullivan
41 Gaelic (Irish) lessons
This is a great way to start my week, I always learn so much!
Feb 16, 2026
Olga
43 Gaelic (Irish) lessons
I’ve been learning Irish with Paddy for two years and have enjoyed every class. He’s an excellent, patient teacher, and I highly recommend him to anyone wanting to learn proper Irish.