Fond farewell to set dancing fanatic Bernie Mulligan

Bernie MulliganOn a sunny but steamy Friday morning last week over 100 people flooded a Dumont, New Jersey funeral home to pay respects to one of the more popular set-dancing fanatics in the greater New York-New Jersey area who passed away at the young age of 63 Many in that community were stunned and saddened the week before when word spread that Bruce Olens had died from a heart attack -- suddenly but peacefully -- at home, and that the smiling gentleman who taught set dancing as part of the Iselin Ceili Group in New Jersey would no longer be rounding the house at any future ceilitheMany learned at the memorial service conducted by a rabbi with Bruce’s brother, sister, daughter and his grandchildren in attendance, that Bruce embraced two cultural heritages, that of his Jewish faith and also his intense interest in Irish music, dance and history The rabbi also wisely commented on the number of people from the wider Irish dancing community who turned out in great numbers and distances to bid farewell to a fond friend who always had a cheerful hello at the regional ceilithe remarking that a man’s worth is often more telling at the end of his life Read more