Background
Curran was born on the 24th of July 1750, at Newmarket, Cork, Ireland, where his father, a descendant of one of Cromwell's soldiers, was seneschal to the manor-court.
Curran was born on the 24th of July 1750, at Newmarket, Cork, Ireland, where his father, a descendant of one of Cromwell's soldiers, was seneschal to the manor-court.
John was educated at Middleton, through the kind help of a friend, the Rev. Nathaniel Boyse, and at Trinity College, Dublin; and in 1773, having taken his M. A. degree, he entered the Middle Temple and in 1775 he was admitted to the Irish bar.
John entered the Middle Temple, London, and in 1775 he was admitted to the Irish bar. Curran was appointed king's counsel in 1783, and in the same year was presented a seat in the Irish House of Commons. He soon found that his policies differed radically from those of his patron, and spent £1,500p1,500 in buying himself another seat. Although a Protestant himself, Curran was a staunch supporter of Catholic emancipation. He also attacked ministerial bribes, and this resulted in two duels: the first, in 1785, with Attorney General John Fitzgibbon, and the other, in 1790, with Secretary of State Major Robert Hobart. In the state trials between 1794 and 1803, Curran made many notable speeches on behalf of the accused Irish patriots, especially notable being his defense of Hamilton Rowan, Lord Edward Fitzgerald, Wolfe Tone, and Napper Tandy. After the arrest of Robert Emmet in 1803, Curran himself came under suspicion and was examined before the Privy Council, which acquitted him. In 1806, after the death of William Pitt and the formation of the Charles J. Fox ministry, Curran was appointed master of the rolls in Ireland, a position which gave him a seat in the Privy Council. He was a great Irish patriot and one of the finest orators of his time. Among the brilliant men who were his contemporaries and friends, he was noted for his wit.
Although a Protestant himself, Curran was a staunch supporter of Catholic emancipation.
In 1774 John married a lady who brought him a small dowry but the marriage proved unhappy, and Mrs Curran finally eloped from her husband.
