You cannot work until you are registered.
the only reason that I ticked on the tourist category as my EU spouse was not traveling with me.
That is not a valid argument in any sense. There is no requirement whatsoever to for the EU Spouse needs to travel with you. The vast majority wouldn’t, as their spouses would have already been in the state.
You can, in theory, come on a visit visa and then apply for EUTR. However, you would need to clearly explain the situation at the border, so that the border officer can register you in their system in the correct category.
If you told the border officer that you came to Ireland for tourism, then you were clearly intentionally misleading the officer. You also intentionally cheated to the visa officer when you applied for your visa, and you lied to the border officer when you arrived in Ireland. Therefore I can see why the local registration officer did not want to register you.
The officer can (and will) raise a question to the EUTR department asking the legitimacy of your permission in the state. Be prepared to answer the difficult questions.