From Ireland, Debbie studied at the Leinster School of Music and Trinity College Dublin before pursuing postgraduate work in North America. This culminated with a doctoral degree in piano performance from McGill University in Montreal. Her teachers have included Marek Jablonski, Mabel Swainson and Kyoko Hashimoto. While Debbie enjoys playing a wide range of repertoire, she especially enjoys early twentieth century French music which brought her several times to France where she worked with leading French pianists Pascal Rogé, Jacques Rouvier and Fredéric Aguessy. Additionally, masterclasses with György Sebők, Joyce Rathbone, John Antoniadis and Valeria Szervánszky have greatly influenced her musical development.

She has performed to great acclaim as soloist and chamber musician on several continents and received notable awards for her playing in the U.S., Ireland and Canada.

Debbie presently teaches piano at the Qatar Music Academy. There she regularly organises performance projects which she presents with her colleagues and students.