AUBURN — The Woman’s Literary Union of Androscoggin County will host John Henderson, a local historian and author, who will look back 100 years to what was happening in Ireland and its impact on the Irish in Lewiston-Auburn.

The talk will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 10, at the Foss Mansion,19 Elm St. 

On Easter Monday, 1916, some 2,000 men and women proclaimed the Irish Republic and commandeered strategic locations throughout the city of Dublin, Ireland, holding British forces at bay for one week.

While a military failure, the 1916 rising ignited nationalist sentiment in Ireland, and by the 1930 U.S. Census, the Irish of Androscoggin County and elsewhere were able to indicate their birth place as “Irish free state.”

In “1916: The Irish in Dublin, The Irish in Lewiston-Auburn,” Henderson presents the short story of the Irish Rising and the Irish community in Lewiston and Auburn at that time.

Henderson is the author of “Androscoggin Irish,” a survey of the historic Irish-American community of Lewiston and Auburn. He began his local Irish studies years ago researching and writing his mother’s Irish genealogy.

When Henderson landed in Auburn in 2005, the genealogy led to a series of more detailed biographical sketches, and the sketches led to a comprehensive study of the “Irish in Lewiston and Auburn, Androscoggin Irish.”

He presented the major topics of his research in a series of five community programs that were, much to his surprise, standing room only. This reception led Henderson to deepen and broaden his research to include more detail on Lewiston and Auburn, as well as the Irish stories of the other towns of Androscoggin County. Henderson’s interests include both the wider history of the Irish at home and in the United States, as well as elements of Irish culture.

Henderson enjoys ceili dancing, learning to speak Irish and cooking classic Irish dishes. In his talks on the local Irish, he weaves their stories into the larger story of the Irish nation, and connects the two through songs. Henderson is also an architectural artist, creating cards and portraits that celebrate the image and history of local architectural landmarks.

In 2016, the 100th Anniversary of the Dublin Rising, Henderson will release the second edition of “Androscoggin Irish,” which includes colorful images of local buildings associated with the Irish community. Henderson is a resident of Auburn and traces his roots to Southwest County Cork, Ireland.