SILC is a protocol which allows you to chat using strongly encrypted
connections and secure authentication mechanisms. In other words,
SILC is a secure IRC variant.

Thanks to Irssi's modularity it is rather easy to extend the SILC
client with an additional protocol handler. Even better, the protocol
can be compiled as a module and loaded during runtime in a "normal"
Irssi client.

SILC plugin is just a bunch of Makefiles taking the SILC client's
source and compiling the protocol handler as a module.