diff --git a/src/ircutils.py b/src/ircutils.py
index fc71523b8..0f8f54363 100644
--- a/src/ircutils.py
+++ b/src/ircutils.py
@@ -79,8 +79,9 @@ def toLower(nick):
 def nickEqual(nick1, nick2):
     return toLower(nick1) == toLower(nick2)
 
-nickchars = string.ascii_lowercase + string.ascii_uppercase + r'-[]\\`^{}'
-_nickre = re.compile(r'^[%s]+$' % re.escape(nickchars))
+_nickchars = r'-[]\\`^{}'
+_nickre = re.compile(r'^[%sA-Za-z][%s0-9A-Za-z]+$' % (re.escape(_nickchars),
+                                                      re.escape(_nickchars)))
 def isNick(s):
     if re.match(_nickre, s):
         return True
@@ -192,6 +193,7 @@ def replyTo(msg):
     else:
         return msg.nick
 
+
 class nick(str):
     """This class does case-insensitive comparisons of nicks."""
     def __init__(self, s):
@@ -206,6 +208,16 @@ class nick(str):
     def __hash__(self):
         return hash(self.lowered)
 
+
+class IrcDict(dict):
+    def __contains__(self, s):
+        return dict.__contains__(self, toLower(s))
+    def __setitem__(self, s, v):
+        dict.__setitem__(self, toLower(s), v)
+    def __getitem__(self, s):
+        return dict.__getitem__(self, toLower(s))
+    has_key = __contains__
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     import sys, doctest
     doctest.testmod(sys.modules['__main__'])
diff --git a/test/ircutils_test.py b/test/ircutils_test.py
index 03d91d2b5..4c2ea7edf 100644
--- a/test/ircutils_test.py
+++ b/test/ircutils_test.py
@@ -81,6 +81,16 @@ class FunctionsTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
         self.failIf(ircutils.isIP('a.b.c'))
         self.failUnless(ircutils.isIP('100.100.100.100'))
 
+    def testIsNick(self):
+        self.failUnless(ircutils.isNick('jemfinch'))
+        self.failUnless(ircutils.isNick('jemfinch0'))
+        self.failUnless(ircutils.isNick('[0]'))
+        self.failUnless(ircutils.isNick('{jemfinch}'))
+        self.failUnless(ircutils.isNick('\\```'))
+        self.failIf(ircutils.isNick(''))
+        self.failIf(ircutils.isNick('8foo'))
+        self.failIf(ircutils.isNick('10'))
+
     def banmask(self):
         for msg in msgs:
             if ircutils.isUserHostmask(msg.prefix):
@@ -123,3 +133,19 @@ class FunctionsTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
         modes = [plusB, plusE, minusL]
         self.assertEqual(ircutils.joinModes(modes),
                          ['+be-l', plusB[1], plusE[1]])
+
+
+class IrcDictTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
+    def testContains(self):
+        d = ircutils.IrcDict()
+        d['#FOO'] = None
+        self.failUnless('#foo' in d)
+        d['#fOOBAR[]'] = None
+        self.failUnless('#foobar{}' in d)
+
+    def testGetSetItem(self):
+        d = ircutils.IrcDict()
+        d['#FOO'] = 12
+        self.assertEqual(12, d['#foo'])
+        d['#fOOBAR[]'] = 'blah'
+        self.assertEqual('blah', d['#foobar{}'])