Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His family moved to Malawi in central Africa in 1972 where he lived until 1978. After returning to Ireland his family decided to emigrate to Canada and settled in Calgary, Alberta. In 1984, Declan was accepted into the prestigious acting program at the University of Alberta where he obtained his BFA-Acting degree with honours. After graduating from the UofA in 1989, he founded Edmonton's Free Will Players Shakespeare Company with several classmates and fellow artists. He has worked across Canada in theaters from Vancouver Island to Prince Edward Island and all points in between. After spending 17 years in Toronto, Declan returned to Calgary where he has an active career in theatre, film, TV and voice over work.