Curtin was raised in County Limerick, near Kilmallock. The Curtin family have run a dairy farm between Banogue and Athlacca since the 1940s and Marie's parents, Sean and Eileen, took over the farm in 1975. She is one of seven children, with three brothers and three sisters. She began playing association football on the farm with her siblings and their friends from an early age. Curtin attended Ard Scoil Mhuire in Bruff. Between 2004 and 2008 Curtin attended Hofstra University on a four-year full soccer scholarship where she gained a BA in social sciences.[2][3][4][5][6]
Before the establishment of Women's National League, Curtin was playing junior football with Kilmallock United. In 2010 Curtin helped them reach the FAI Women's Junior Cup final which they lost 1–0 to Bohemians.[24] The inaugural 2011–12 Women's National League season saw Curtin playing for Cork Women's F.C.[25][26] The 2014–15 season saw Curtin sign for Galway W.F.C.[23][27] By 2017 Curtin was playing for Aisling-Annacotty in the Limerick Women's & Schoolgirls' Soccer League.[2][28] In 2018 she made a return to the WNL with Limerick.[29][30] 2020 saw Curtin play for newly formed Treaty United of the WNL after Limerick were liquidated. She retired from professional football on 11 January 2021.
In 2013 Curtin and her father, Sean, co-founded a dairy foods company, Temple Dairy Ltd. The company's main product is a healthy chocolate milk drink. Curtin is the company's managing director.[4][6][30][3][42][43][44] In April 2017 Curtin promoted her product on an edition of Dragons' Den.[45]