Dervaig Village

The name of the village derives from the Gaelic and Old Norse languages: 'der' meaning 'good or true' and 'aig' from the Old Norse meaning 'creek or inlet'. In fact the area was settled long before the arrival of the Norsemen, as the many standing stones in prominent positions above Dervaig testify. These early settlers made the right choice, and the place has developed remarkably over the years.
 
The village itself was built in 1799 by the then laird MacLean of Coll as a 'planned village' for his agricultural workers, and originally had 26 houses with gardens and areas of common grazing.  But despite this clearance the village survived, and eventually it had two inns, a bakery, a shop, a Post Office and a smithy.

In 1898 a Reading Room was opened, and was used as a village hall for many years before the new hall was built on the road to Tobermory in 2000. This building is now a well-stocked licensed grocer and Post Office, and there is another shop called 'Coffee and Books' in the main street.

The church dominates the entrance to Dervaig village, and because of the Celtic design of its 'pencil' tower looks older than it actually is. It is the second church to be built on this site; it was designed in 1904 by the architect P MacGregor Chalmers of Glasgow as a simple rectangular building with a tall, circular tapering tower with a conical cap at its west end. The stone came from a quarry at Mornish (on the road to Calgary), and it has very fine stained glass windows recently restored. The church was consecrated in 1905.