It lies on the island's southern end, along the coast road at the foot of a steep hill called the Suidhe Chattan which shields the village from the prevailing westerly wind.

The village is named after the sixth century bishop, Saint Cathan, who established a hermitage at this location in AD 539.

A new wooden pier was constructed in 1880 when the village became a regular port-of-call for steamers which carried trippers from the great city of Glasgow and local traffic such as the output of tile factory (closed 1915) at Kingarth.

Queen Elizabeth II and her consort landed on the pier from the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1957 on a visit to the island before driving through the village.

The village at one stage had a post office, drapers, bakery, grocers, greengrocers, cafe (owned by the family of Lena Zavaroni) and a tearoom situated at the pier.