The old church at Ardbraccan was built in 1777 on the site of a previous monastic site.
In the graveyard of this old church there are some interesting and fascinating headstones along with a wonderful memorial of George Montgomery, who was Bishop of Meath from 1610 to 1620. He died 1621.
Three of the four sides of this memorial bear amazing sculptured panels. On the north side there's a plaque with a lengthy inscription dedicated to the Bishop. Below it there's a carved stone into a recess with three human figures. One is a bearded man, George Montgomery himself, like the initials GM next to him suggest. The others are two women with elegant dresses and hairdo. The first is his first wife Susan Montgomery (nee Steyning), died 1614, the second female figure is their daughter Jane.
At the base of the memorial, on the same side, there are other three female figures, but they're very worn out, with two angels at either corner.
The east side of the memorial has some nice symbols. The one above shows some kind of chalice and a weathered inscription on a ribbon around it. The one in the middle looks like a miter held by two angels. The bottom one has two symbols, with the lowest one being the George Montgomery's coat of arms held by two angels and the date 1614.
The south side of the memorial bears a plaque that remembers Richard Pocock, doctor in law, died September 15th, 1765, just three months after being named Bishop of Meath. It seems he died from eating bad mushrooms.
On the west side of the memorial there are three interesting items. The first on the top is a triangular slab with a chalice and a host. It is thought that this slab is the only fragment saved from Edmund Ouldhall's tomb, which was inside the previous church and was lost when that church was demolished. Ouldhall was one of the Bishops who would reside at Ardbraccan, he died 1459. Below this slab is a square slab with a coat of arms, and at the bottom there's a large rectangular slab with lots or religious symbols carved, and again the coat of arms of George Montgomery.
At the foot of the memorial, on the west side, there's a slab flat on the ground, with three carved panels that would have been coat of arms, but they are very weathered.
Other interesting old headstones can be found in the graveyard.
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