James Joyce and Irish Tweed - In the early 1900s James Joyce pondered why Irish industrial firms such as tweed makers were not sending agents abroad to promote and sell their product. James returned to Dublin after living in Austro which was then part of Hungry for a few years to try and earn a living. He set up the Volta Cinema on Mary Street Dublin in 1909. While he was back in his home city he visited Dublin Woollen Mills situated at 15 Bachelors Walk and arranged to act as an agent for them in Trieste. The Woollen company had been opened in 1888 by Valentine James Roche. Valentine agreed that Joyce would receive 10% commission on items sold. It is believed that the company gave James Joyce twelve yards of sample tweeds, which the writer sent on to Trieste. When a local shop in Trieste failed to reply to James Joyce proposal of selling the material, he set about selling it himself. A fire in 1930 at the Woollen Company on Bachelors walk destroyer much if the company's documents, however several invoices between the company and James Joyce still exist today.