Owen Roe O'Neill was son of Art MacBaron, the great Tyrone's brother, whence he was often called Owen MacArt. In the Spanish service he was known as Don Eugenio O'Neill. He was a captain in Flanders in Henry O'Neill's Irish regiment as early as 1607, and colonel of the regiment about 1633. With the rank of _maître de camp_ he commanded the garrison of Arras during the siege in 1640, and marched out with the honours of war on August 9. For some time before the outbreak he had been in frequent communication with the Irish leaders, but perhaps without any well-formed intention of going over himself. When he heard that the plot to seize Dublin had been discovered 'he was in a great rage against O'Connolly, and said he wondered how or where that villain should live, for if he were in Ireland, sure they would pull him in pieces there; and if he lived in England there were footmen and other Irishmen enough to kill him.' It was less than eight years since another Irish colonel, Walter Butler, had murdered Wallenstein. O'Neill then asked his general Francis de Mello to let him go to Ireland, and the Spaniard answered that he should go and be well supplied for the enterprise if he could find a safe landing-place in his own country. It was, however, given out that he was in disgrace with the Spanish authorities, and years afterwards, when Hyde was at Madrid, Don Luis de Haro kept up the mystification and spoke of him as a deserter from his sovereign's service. Where Spain was concerned there were always long delays, and the summer of 1642 was well advanced before O'Neill announced to Luke Wadding that he was about to start. Everything, he said, was going on well in Ireland, but there was sad want of powder. If the Pope knew, he said, how fatal that powder would be to heresy and heretics he would make haste to procure a plentiful supply. O'Neill sailed from Dunkirk round Scotland, and landed in Lough Swilly about the last day of July. He captured two prizes at sea and detached a small vessel to Wexford with arms, which arrived safely. O'Neill brought to Ulster 'ammunition, arms and a few low-country officers and soldiers of his own regiment,' and he sent his ships back to Flanders for more. Sir Phelim sent 1500 men to join his kinsman, who went round by Ballyshannon to Charlemont, where he arrived without having met an enemy.[17] [Sidenote: Preston lands at Wexford, August 1642.] [Sidenote: His rivalry with O'Neill.] [Sidenote: Attitude of Richelieu.]