commander of Forthill, overlooking the town, constantly harassing the neighbourhood. D'Arcy and Martyn set up and led a Council of Eight which dealt with any and all emergency matters, including procuring arms and ammunition for defence. Dominick Kirwin led a force which captured a British naval vessel for just that purpose in March and thus placing Galway on the path to rebellion. D'Arcy attended a General Assembly of the Irish Catholic Confederation at Kilkenny in October 1642. He was instrumental in drawing up their constitution, described as "Orders to be observed as the model of their government". Along with his nephew, Geoffrey Browne, was one of the twelve members of the Supreme Council. Liam O'Malley says of them: The confederate movement was essentially a conservative one, aimed at defending Catholic interests and anxious from the beginning to make a settlement which would protect their interests. Their aim from the beginning, therefore, was not to win a war but to secure a just peace. Most of them were loyal to the king, and the primary objective of the Supreme Council was to negotiate a settlement with Charles I. ... Sadly, however, the civil war, bigotry and fear made a just peace almost impossible. With the arrival of Oliver Cromwell in 1649, the cause began to crumble, ending with the surrender of Galway in 1652. Later life Named as a person liable to death and confiscation, December 1653 saw D'Arcy jailed in the Marshalsea, Dublin. Attempts were made to try him for murders committed during the war, but he was eventually released. His lands were confiscated and he was no longer able to practise law as he was a Catholic. With the Restoration in 1660, however, he was able to resume work, though without his lands being restored. Shortly after The Restoration, an issue of precedence arose between two of the High Court judges, Sir Jerome Alexander and Sir William Aston. Aston's anonymous and acrimonious statement on the rights of the matter drew the challenge of a duel from D'Arcy. Aston responded by refusing the challenge and apparently trying to prosecute D'Arcy. D'Arcy then swore he would horsewhip Aston should they ever meet in public. D'Arcy died in Dublin in 1668, and was buried in Kilconnell Abbey. His tomb bears the epitaph HIC MISERA PATRIA SOLA COLUMNA JACET ("Here, wretched country, lies your sole support"). Personal life In 1628, D'Arcy married Mary