The land is highly fertile, and crofting, alongside tourism, and fishing are the main sources of employment for the islanders.

Tiree, along with Colonsay, enjoys a relatively high number of total hours of sunshine during the late spring and early summer compared to the average for the United Kingdom.

Tiree is known for the 1st-century-AD Dùn Mòr broch, for the prehistoric carved Ringing Stone and for the birds of the Ceann a' Mhara headland.

Adomnán, abbot of Iona Abbey 679–704, recorded several stories relating to St Columba and the island of Tiree.

The rest of the island was let to 45 groups of tenants on co-operative joint farms: agricultural organisations probably dating from clan times.

Its name derives from Tìr Iodh, 'land of the corn', from the days of the 6th century Celtic missionary and abbot St Columba (d. 597).

Skerryvore lighthouse, 12 miles (19 kilometres) south west of Tiree, was built with some difficulty between 1838 and 1844 by Alan Stevenson.

A large Royal Air Force station was built on Tiree during World War II.

Quaternary sediments include raised beach deposits which are extensive across the island and incorporate areas of alluvium locally.

Loganair provide daily flights to Glasgow International and Hebridean Air Services fly to Coll and Oban.

As with the rest of western Scotland, Tiree experiences a maritime climate (Cfb) with cool summers and mild winters.

[22] The extreme maritime moderation contributes to summer temperatures that are far below even coastal locations in continental Europe on similar latitudes.

The Southern Hebrides agency states that "while farming and, to a lesser extent, fishing, continue to provide most of the income of Tiree, tourism plays an increasing part in the island’s economy".

Tiree Community Development Trust owns and operates a 950 kW community-owned wind turbine project known as Tilley.

The island regularly hosts the Tiree Wave Classic[29] and was the venue for the Corona Extra PWA World Cup Finals in 2007.

[39][40] Since 2010, the island has hosted the annual Tiree Music Festival, held in Crossapol in the fields beside the community hall 'An Talla'.

[41] In 2012, when Tiree appeared in the BBC Programme Coast for a second time, the actions of RAF weather forecasters, flying hazardous missions far out into the storms of the Atlantic during World War II, were discussed.

Tiree is also referenced in the song "Western Ocean" by Skipinnish, a traditional Scottish band co-founded by local Tirisdeach (Tiresian) Angus MacPhail.