Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a type of real-time Internet text messaging (chat) or synchronous conferencing. IRC was born during summer 1988 when Jarkko Oikarinen wrote the first IRC client and server when he was working in the Department of Information Processing Science at the University of Oulu, Finland. This system enables millions of people around the world to communicate in real time.
To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list 10 sleek IRC clients. There's a mix of graphical and console based applications included. Hopefully, there will be something of interest for all types of users.
http://www.linuxlinks.com/portal/news/article.php?story=20090913123937241