There is a government tax of Eur30 payable on 1 April every year or on date of closing unless the account is closed within the year without the card ever having been used. http://www.citizensinformation.ie/c...s-and-vat/stamp-duty-on-financial-cards#rules
The minimum payment is usually about 5% of outstanding balance.
I don't know how easy it is to get one but I would imagine if you have a clean credit history and an income it should be easy to get one with a low credit limit to start with anyway.
Have you considered getting an overdraft approved and using laser card to pay for "emergencies"? The banks usually charge about Eur25 arrangement fee annually and if you did end up having to use it the interest would probably be lower, although without an interest-free period.
Sybil