Quinlan was educated at Abbey CBS in Tipperary and worked for a motor dealer after leaving school.
In May 2006 he made a comeback from a cruciate ligament injury earlier in the season to win both the AIB League Division 1 title with Shannon and the Heineken Cup with Munster after a late appearance from the bench in the 2006 Heineken Cup Final win over Biarritz in Cardiff.
He captained the side from Number Eight in Munster's upset victory over Ulster in Ravenhill in the 2007 Celtic League.
Quinlan was voted Man of the Match as Munster beat Toulouse 16–13 on 24 May 2008 to win the 2008 Heineken Cup Final.
[4] In April 2011, Quinlan officially announced his retirement from professional rugby, to be effective at the end of the 2010-11 season.
Quinlan represented Ireland 'A' between 1998 and 2001 and made his senior debut for the Irish national team in October 1999, as a replacement in a test against Romania.
The offence was deemed at the low range of seriousness and he received a 12 playing week ban until 9 September 2009.