Or just use a popular, stable, free IRC network such as libera.chat. A lot of very good IRC clients are available for free. IRCCloud is a good starting point

Or just use a popular, stable, free IRC network such as libera.chat. A lot of very good IRC clients are available for free. IRCCloud is a good starting point for a lot of people: excellent UI/UX, a free tier, and a very inexpensive paid tier (around 4 USD/month). Create as many channels as you like.