irc.rizon.net has now banned 'bitcoin' clients.  I will be removing the irc code in version 1.4. It will be replaced by seed nodes.

In the mean time you can stop using irc by starting with switch -irc=0. If you need a node to connect to please PM or ask.

If you have the know how and desire to run a seed node, please let me know. I will pay a nice bounty for it, but you have to get it up.

Thanks!