While there he, like his other O'Neill cousins, constantly planned the return of his father and the restoration of the Gaelic order in Ulster. He became titular colonel of the Regiment of Tyrone on the death of his half-brother Henry at the request of his father.
He consistently worked towards his father's return and the restoration of the Gaelic order in Ulster, similar to what his other O'Neill cousins were doing. Upon his half-brother Henry's death, he became titular colonel of the Regiment of Tyrone at his father's request.