Before turning to the specifics of the English strategic conundrum, one must consider Irish and Spanish goals. Direct sources from the Gaelic leadership are few and far between, and it is difficult to say exactly what long-range goal they sought. Crucially, in offensive war directed against English territorial control, the Irish lacked an artillery train, a capability the Spanish could provide. The Spanish had a different and not always harmonious set of goals and problems. English wars in Ireland have been portrayed as precursors to Atlantic colonization, and as such they supposedly proceeded without concern for the local population. The Irish rebellion only became insurmountable if combined with Spanish conventional power. They therefore turned all of their resources first to destroying the Spanish, after which they assumed they could eventually handle the Irish rebels. To preserve English sovereignty, the Irish had to be kept down and the Spanish out.