Urchin,
Sorry to hear about that bro.
Were you wrong to shout at the payroll clerk??  In a word Yes.
Ya gotta cool that temper buddy,  females will always win in these situations.
Was it fair you were fired, in a word No?
Sounds like one of two things to me,  was the manager who fired you a friend of the payroll clerk??.  The manager was a she right??  I dont think thats just coincidental.  Only natural she would side with the female clerk.  The secind possibility is that they were looking for a reson to get rid of you.  Maybe the payroll clerk deliberatley wound you up, perhaps knowing that you have a hot temper?
As for the future, I would first try and get a reasonable reference from them.  Go to them saying, "C'mon guys this is my future"and perhaps volunteer to apologise to the clerk.  This may be a pride thing for you but pride aint gonna put bread on the table.  Failing  that I would try and make up something to cover the year on your resume, something that sounds real plausable and is not easy to check.
Tell ya the truth, I would not hire ya if your references didnt check out, but I *might* if you were upfront and said It was a one off thing.  So your choices are 1) get a reference 2) come up with a *very* good cover story or 3) be up front with potential new employers, if honesty is important to them then it may swing things your way.  I would avoid number 2 if ya can, cause if someone came to me with even a slightly suspect story I'd check it in detail.
Hope it works out for ya, from knowin ya from Aces you seem like a good bloke.  Why not use this as an opportunity to update your skills and develop a better career path??
Best Wishes,
Dave.