Alison Azar Beckmeyer who, with her husband, purchased Cashel in 2016, is proud to own the mansion and has lovingly restored it. She recounts how, at the closing, realtor Kim Spears, emotionally expressed the community’s gratefulness that Cashel was being preserved.
When news of the impending purchase got around, one of Alison’s Cleveland colleagues and Martin County history buffs inundated her with the historic background of Cashel and Martin Maloney. Later, Alison visited Moloney-built, St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Spring Lake, New Jersey. She was surprised when the church docent did not know Martin Maloney had a winter home in Florida.
Alison purchased a book about St. Catherine’s Church and, returning to her car, flipped through it. An image of a greeting card that featured, among other buildings, “Cashel in Port Sewall, Florida,” caught her eye. She went back into the church to show it to the docent.
This got the attention of a priest who was interested to know Alison and Tom Beckmeyer were the proud owners of the Maloney winter home. After learning its name, he pointed a religious mural high above them. One of the figures was Ireland’s “King of Cashel” featuring Martin Maloney’s face!
Alison Beckmeyer snapped this photo of the “King of Cashel” with Martin Maloney’s features.
Even though Martin Maloney’s daughter, Margaret razed Ballingarry, her parents’ huge Spring Lake mansion in 1953 because no one was willing to buy it, Alison discovered that the estate’s wrought Iron fence still encircles the former Maloney property where several fine homes now stand.
I will conclude my Cashel blogs with photos of scenes of the estate when it was used for television commercials and for Burt Reynolds’ B. L. Stryker, supplied by fellow history buff Brandon Weston but first I want to point out that Cashel continues to be used for charity.
Each year the Beckmeyers host a lavish fundraiser for “Folds of Honor” to provide scholarships from members of injured servicemen. This is a link to the 501c3 organization.
These scenes of large animals on the Cashel estate are fun to see. Some were taken by Brandon Weston and some are from the Internet. Brandon supplied the link to the actual commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7OfD_D5-pY
I am sure you will enjoy watching the commercial. It’s a hoot!
To finish off, if anyone wants to watch the B.L. Stryker King of Jazz episode that features Cashel. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MsAzsIKwMU
We will end with this tall Cashel visitor. Brandon said after the giraffe’s arrival the filming of the commercial could not be kept secret and scores of cars stopped because people wanted to know what was going on.