I'm already a Matrix/Element user, and I honestly don't see the point in using a bridge for my personal IRC usage. I think it's cool for groups that want to maintain IRC after switching to Matrix, but it feels like it's a bit too much complexity to use Matrix as a UI for IRC.
For me, Matrix was not just about bridging IRC, but about unifying communications. And when you first decide to do that, bridging IRC too becomes a no-brainer.
