Just my tuppence, what you endured is appalling and I understand why you want your reputation upheld and as someone who worked in Cork at a fairly senior level and for a major employer, speaking out or standing up for yourself is difficult.
Cork is a very small place and the grapevine especially the work/career grapevine is a very real thing and it does effect you and your chances of being able to move on .
Cork isn't unique in this but as all HR people know each other and recruiting people are known to be buying drinks for them ,and the Cork Chamber is akin to a masonic lodge its understandable that you felt trapped.
Your last post was 11 years since you started and no doubt you have worked hard, Hold your head up high, and .... the begrudgers, I worked for 18 years in Cork and its my home town but working with some of the people from there tested my patience and realised just how nepotism and bullying was such feature in the workplace.
I hope you have resolved the issues, I can almost guess what/ where you were working.....