I've tried some linux IRC clients and haven't been impressed with any of them. Most linux distributions come with at least one IRC client. Try it and see. Two that I have in my GUI panel menu are X-Chat and ksirc. I know I've got more on my linux workstation.
As always, it's recommended to not connect to the internet while logged in as root. This is even more true for IRC clients and some won't let you connect while logged in as root.