Editing Josep Irla (section)

==Early years==

Josep Irla i Bosch was born on 24 October 1874 in [[Sant Feliu de Guíxols]], Baix Empordà. He was the eldest of the three sons of Josep Irla i Rovira, and Rita Bosch Anglada. His father was a laborer who later opened a tavern known as Cas Romagué. His younger brothers were Francesc (1881–1961) and Nicolau (1886–1943), with whom he always maintained a very close relationship, sharing business and political activities. He worked in his father's inn when he was young, and studied at the Academy of Arts and Crafts. 
He did not follow any higher study, but was self-taught.

Irla gradually made his way into the world of business and politics. With his brothers, he began industrial and commercial activities in [[Sant Feliu de Guíxols]]. He created the company Josep Irla & Co. using the capital of the three brothers. From this base, they opened a factory, producing cork stoppers, that grew over the years. They were consignees of boats and owned a schooner, with which they traded in wine and cork with [[Barcelona]], acting as customs agents.
In 1902, Irla married Florence Bas i Parent, also of Sant Feliu de Guixols and descendant of a family of workers. The couple had no children, but they had two godchildren, Encarnació Pijoan, daughter of peasants from a farm from [[Romanyà de la Selva]], and Lola Aymerich, a cousin who was orphaned.