For fourteen years of his music career, Declan led a nomadic existence playing with bands based in a succession of different towns including Wexford (his birth-place), Dublin, London, Arklow and Cork. At nineteen, he made his major musical debut as a guitarist with Horslips, and after two years with the group moved on to enjoy successful spells with Gandydancer, Homegrown, Southpaw and the much acclaimed Moving Hearts.

But after ten years, in 1982, the nomadic, shifting path of Declan's career came to an abrupt halt. He was due to perform with Christy Moore, the regular guitarist for the evening's support act was away, and Declan stepped in to fill the gap. It's a gap he's now filled for a decade, for the support act was, of course, Mary Black.

The longest serving member of the band, 43 years (in 1993) old Declan is also the musical director and producer of Mary Black's live and recorded output. His links with Jimmy McCarthy and Noel Brazil were influential in prompting Mary to move in the direction of recording contemporary compositions from Irish writers, and both McCarthy and Brazil are now firmly established as major contributors to Mary's music.

For Declan, it's been an extraordinarily settled decade - a long term attachment which he attributes to the easy relationships within the band, the easy pace at which the band has developed, and the way in which that easy pace has sustained a strong level of interest for everyone involved.

Meanwhile, back in Cork, Declan's built himself a studio in his back garden. Between tours and recording with Mary Black he's busy honing his engineering, technical and performing skills to further enhance his very particular talents for production and musical direction which a decade with Mary Black have highlighted so successfully.

Declan decided to leave Mary's band after the recording of the "Circus" album.

Declan is currently working together with Frances Black (Mary's sister) and has been recording and touring with her.