The Cluxtons of Kilcullen written by Barry Kinane is the latest publication to be produced as part of the Kildare Decade of Commemorations Programme.
The Cluxtons of Kilcullen tells the history of how Clugstons from Co. Down migrated to Kildare settling in Kilcullen in the early Eighteenth Century. The story covers all the major events of Irish history over three centuries. The Cluxton family story was shaped by the 1798 Rebellion, the economic depression of the 1820’s and 1830’s, the Tithe Wars, the Great Famine, the Land Wars, and the formation of the Irish state. The book follows the working life of John Bailey Cluxton, a relieving officer for the Athy Poor Law Union. When the Local Government Act was passed in 1898, he was a public servant working for what eventually became Kildare County Council. His daughter Mary Anne followed in his footsteps and was possibly the first female local government official employed in Kildare. Another daughter, Bridget served as a World War 1 nurse, while one of his sons, Pat Cluxton was a volunteer in the IRA during the War of Independence.
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