Is the IRC down or is it just me that can't hit it ?

I've tried
irc.undergroundnews.com
irc1.undergroundnews.net

The IRC page says it is up

irc.undergroundnews.com should connect without issue, you can also try irc.undergroundnews.net (as its the direct host, all others are cnamed to it)

Be sure you're using an IRC client and are connecting to port 6667 (if you're trying to connect to the SSL port (6666) then be sure you're accepting unsigned certificates).

Additionally you can use the IRC page at: http://www.undergroundnews.com/irc.php

IRC 1/2/3 are all down until further notice, I believe the current one which is online is IRC5.