Hi @Dean
Welcome to Particle forum!! No need to apologies, we have all been there. I (maybe way more than others) still make 'beginner mistakes' 
When using displays, I tend to search Github for anything ESP or Arduino related. With some minor adjustments in the code. (normally headers files) you can adjust the pins needed and have the library working in no time. HERE IS an example for your display.
If you are using the WebIDE, I see there is a Sparfun library for a similar display.
As a rule of thumb, you should be able to use just about any display on a Particle device providing you can find a library for it 
Regards, Friedl.