The first Norwegian settlers arrived on Skye around 875 AD and with inter-marriage a Celtic-Norwegian population was quickly established. The name of the village reflects the long and mixed history of the village, being an Old Norse name, "þorskavágr" (or "þorskavík"), modern Norwegian "Torskavåg" (alternatively "Torskavik"), which translates as "Cod Bay" in English. This connection between the Vikings and the Gaels can be seen by the inclusion of "tarsk" as a loan word in Gaelic, from "torsk" in Norwegian. The recent discovery of a very significant Viking boatyard at Rubha an Dùnain, located only from this crofting/fishing community, indicates the possibility of a Viking maritime link between the two sites.