She studied law in UCD in the late 1980s joining Dramsoc and then pursued the performance course at the Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College Dublin.
She was a member of the Abbey Theatre from 1994 - 2009 where she was involved in many productions.
[1] Amongst her earliest jobs at the Abbey was a role in Marina Carr's breakthrough play The Mai[2] in 1994,and later the lead in Carr's Portia Coughlan[3] for Garry Hynes, she also played the title role in a long neglected play from the 1930s by Irish Playwright Teresa Deevy called Katie Roche,[4] this was directed by Judy Friel.
[5] Derbhle has worked extensively in London and has appeared in many National Theatre and RSC[6] productions.
In 2008 she was awarded the Irish Times Theatre Awards for best actress in the Abbey production of Three Sisters[7] where she played the part of Masha.