The Scarinish Hotel was built in 1866. At that time, Tiree was a ‘dry’ island and it was known as the Temperance Hotel. Before the Gott Bay pier opened in 1915, Scarinish was the main harbour on the island. The mail-boat anchored offshore and a small ferry boat was rowed out to meet her. The Reading Room (now An Iodhlann, the island’s historical centre) was built as a waiting room in 1886.
The Scarinish Hotel was granted a drinks licence in 1951. Before then, the Tiree men used to go onboard whilst the boat was tied up at the pier to have a drink. One story told of a man who ended up sailing to Barra and back, as he forgot to get back off the boat at the pier after ‘one drink’.
