It probably took you some time to get a grip on the world wide web and you've probably spend a huge amount of time to find your way around. IRC is just another world on the Internet. This too will take you some time to get a grip on and to find your way around in it.
Once you've mastered the art of IRC you can move on to even more worlds (like usenet )

To get a grip on IRC I suggest reading at least 'Getting on IRC' and 'Basic IRC commands' mentioned in moxnix post. You should then be ready to go to the server/channel Raion mentioned. Once there I'm sure there will be someone around that'll help you to get even more knowledge about IRC.