seeking help for a cause is somewhat different to conned into demanding what was rightfully theirs.

What "cause" was that Jim? The cause of the self-aggrandisement of Hugh O'Neill? Having spent much of his life fighting his way to the top he'd been fighting and killing Irish people right, left and centre for years - he couldn't care less about the "Irish People" or Irish Nation. His "pitch" to curry favour in Spain was to claim he was fighting for the Roman Catholic faith (Strange thing to claim for a practicing Anglican). His goal was to make Ireland a colony of Spain in which he hoped that he would be Spain's Viceroy - Not merely my opinion - that is what his letters to the Spanish show. All of these shenanigans taking place against the backdrop of the Anglo-Spanish War.