diff --git a/requirements-dev.txt b/requirements-dev.txt
index 1704e2e..ae2333c 100644
--- a/requirements-dev.txt
+++ b/requirements-dev.txt
@@ -17,9 +17,8 @@ djangorestframework==3.9.4
 dodgy==0.1.9              # via prospector
 future==0.17.1            # via parsedatetime
 idna==2.8                 # via requests
-importlib-metadata==0.18  # via irc
 inflect==2.1.0            # via jaraco.itertools
-irc==17.1
+irc==15.0.6
 isort==4.3.20             # via pylint
 jaraco.classes==2.0       # via jaraco.collections
 jaraco.collections==2.0   # via irc
@@ -35,7 +34,7 @@ more-itertools==7.0.0     # via irc, jaraco.functools, jaraco.itertools
 oauthlib==3.0.1           # via requests-oauthlib
 parsedatetime==2.4
 pep8-naming==0.4.1        # via prospector
-pip-tools==3.8.0
+pip-tools==4.1.0
 ply==3.11
 prospector==1.1.6.4
 pycodestyle==2.4.0        # via prospector
@@ -55,7 +54,7 @@ requests-oauthlib==1.2.0  # via twython
 requests==2.22.0          # via python-gitlab, requests-oauthlib, twython
 requirements-detector==0.6  # via prospector
 setoptconf==0.2.0         # via prospector
-six==1.12.0               # via astroid, django-extensions, jaraco.classes, jaraco.collections, jaraco.itertools, jaraco.logging, jaraco.stream, logilab-common, pip-tools, pydocstyle, python-dateutil, python-gitlab, tempora
+six==1.12.0               # via astroid, django-extensions, irc, jaraco.classes, jaraco.collections, jaraco.itertools, jaraco.logging, jaraco.stream, logilab-common, pip-tools, pydocstyle, python-dateutil, python-gitlab, tempora
 snowballstemmer==1.2.1    # via pydocstyle
 sqlparse==0.3.0           # via django
 tempora==1.14.1           # via irc, jaraco.logging
@@ -63,7 +62,6 @@ twython==3.7.0
 typed-ast==1.4.0          # via astroid
 urllib3==1.25.3           # via requests
 wrapt==1.11.2             # via astroid
-zipp==0.5.1               # via importlib-metadata
 
 # The following packages are considered to be unsafe in a requirements file:
-# setuptools==41.0.1        # via logilab-common
+# setuptools==41.2.0        # via logilab-common
diff --git a/requirements.in b/requirements.in
index dd0d320..5f3fee0 100644
--- a/requirements.in
+++ b/requirements.in
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ django-bootstrap3               # bootstrap layout
 django-extensions               # more commands
 django-registration-redux       # registration views/forms
 djangorestframework             # dispatch WS API
-irc                             # core
+irc==15.0.6                     # core, pinned until I can bother to update --- 17.x has API changes
 parsedatetime                   # relative date stuff in countdown
 ply                             # dice lex/yacc compiler
 python-dateutil                 # countdown relative math
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 0a9d80a..7cfadb5 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -14,9 +14,8 @@ django==2.2.2
 djangorestframework==3.9.4
 future==0.17.1            # via parsedatetime
 idna==2.8                 # via requests
-importlib-metadata==0.18  # via irc
 inflect==2.1.0            # via jaraco.itertools
-irc==17.1
+irc==15.0.6
 jaraco.classes==2.0       # via jaraco.collections
 jaraco.collections==2.0   # via irc
 jaraco.functools==2.0     # via irc, jaraco.text, tempora
@@ -34,9 +33,8 @@ python-mpd2==1.0.0
 pytz==2019.1
 requests-oauthlib==1.2.0  # via twython
 requests==2.22.0          # via python-gitlab, requests-oauthlib, twython
-six==1.12.0               # via django-extensions, jaraco.classes, jaraco.collections, jaraco.itertools, jaraco.logging, jaraco.stream, python-dateutil, python-gitlab, tempora
+six==1.12.0               # via django-extensions, irc, jaraco.classes, jaraco.collections, jaraco.itertools, jaraco.logging, jaraco.stream, python-dateutil, python-gitlab, tempora
 sqlparse==0.3.0           # via django
 tempora==1.14.1           # via irc, jaraco.logging
 twython==3.7.0
 urllib3==1.25.3           # via requests
-zipp==0.5.1               # via importlib-metadata