Derek began his professional career in 1986 with Passion Machine, playing the Team Manager in Studs by Paul Mercier. He has since appeared extensively in Irish Theatre, including Hatchet (The Olympia), Masterpieces (The Project), a one-man show called Without the 'H' by Sean Moffat (Andrews Lane), The Sinking of the Titanic with Co Motion, The Billy Club Puppets and Lake Horses with Peter Sheridan's award-winning Second Level Theatre. Derek has also worked widely in Shakespeare. Recent film work includes Vinnie Murphy's thriller Accelerator, Pete's Meteor, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, and the award-winning short The Farmer's Wife by Robert Taylor, in which Derek played a lead role. Television work includes Upwardly Mobile, Thou Shalt Not Kill, and No More Blooms. Derek has also worked extensively with the R.T.E. Radio Rep. and can be seen regularly on the internationally acclaimed "Dublin Literary Pub Crawl".