Born in Alva, Clackmannanshire, Curran moved with his family to Canada in his childhood, returning to Scotland to study at Alva Academy.
[1] Working as a confectioner,[2] he joined the Scottish National Party (SNP) in the early 1940s, and in 1944 was elected for the party to Alva Burgh Council.
[4] Curran stood for the SNP in the 1948 Stirling and Falkirk by-election, taking 8.5% of the vote and third place;[5] then again stood in Stirling and Falkirk at the 1950 general election, his vote share falling to 3.8%.
[6] From 1951 until 1953, Curran served as National Secretary of the party, and he then ran the SNP's organising committee for a year, during which time he founded the National League for Young Scots.
On his return, he again became involved with the SNP, and in 1980 was elected to Clackmannan District Council, serving for four years.