La Gomera whistle tells you all you need to know 

Damien Enright zooms in on the unique language used by upland shepherds on the Canary island

The goats are of every colour on La Gomera, Canary Islands and, as the herds come home for milking, their bells sound like the carillions of a dozen churches. 

A La Gomera friend, having read my Irish Examiner column on October 12 about "Silbo Gomero" a whistling language endemic on that small Canarian island, said he thought I hadn't commented enough about its everyday use and usefulness.

I'd talked about it as being taught as a school subject since an Irishwoman brought it to the attention of UNESCO who listed it as a unique World Heritage Language, and the success of that initiative in preserving the language, which was 'disappearing', in competition with phones, and mobile phones.