Declan McSweeney worked as a journalist in Ireland in the past, spending over 18 years with the now-closed Offaly Express, where he covered all areas of news and features. He later worked in London, as a reporter with the Romford Recorder and then a sub with Associated Press, but an ill-fated return to Ireland saw him made redundant almost immediately, by another title, in the economic crash in 2009. Since then, he has been unable to return to the industry but has written many articles on an unpaid basis.