Scarriff is derived from "scarbh", a shallow, a rocky shore or a rough ford, any of which translations describe how and why the town developed.

Scarriff was described by Samuel Lewis in 1837 as a pleasing little town, occupying an ascent from the river and consisting chiefly of one main street. In 1831 it contained one hundred and twenty houses, some of which were neatly built. There were extensive oil and flour-mills, and a considerable number of course hats were manufactured and in the earlier days of the nineteenth century a smelting furnace for iron was worked fully in the town.

SCARRIFF today is a small market and angling town. The River Graney is a haunt of the fishing fraternity who flock to the Shannon waters and the nearby Lough O'Grady, two miles west of the town. Scarriff and Tuamgraney have extended considerably since the 1950's. They have now almost become one town but each still retains a separate identity.