The village used to be a regular stop for steamers circumnavigating the island, passengers embarking by way of a rowing boat from the "ferry rock".

[1] This harbour and quay used to be the location where sandstone blocks from the nearby quarry were shipped to the mainland, and huge pieces of stone can still be seen.

Small coastal cargo vessels of a type known as the Clyde puffer were a common sight in the port and the sandstone quay during their heyday.

High Corrie (Scottish Gaelic: An Coire Àrd), nestling above the village, has long been favoured by artists, including Joan Eardley and Margot Sandeman.

[5] Population has been falling: in January 2008, only 15 pupils attended the village's primary school, and the number was expected to further drop to 5 by 2012.