WHAT DO BRIAN Cowen, Barry McGuigan and Anne Enright have in common? Well, they’re the most important Irish people of the last 14 years, according to the authors of a new dictionary.

The trio were deemed more significant than Taoiseach Enda Kenny and late finance minister Brian Lenihan – neither of whom merit an entry in the latest edition of the Chambers Biographical Dictionary.

The dictionary was first published in 1897. Now in its ninth edition – and the first for 14 years – it offers short biographies of more than 18,000 famous people past and present.

Other new entries include Barack and Michelle Obama, Cheryl Cole, Mark Zuckerberg and the founders of Twitter.

Former Taoseach Bertie Ahern also features in the book, but not as a new entry – he was also included in the last edition in 1997. However, his biography has been updated to note that “financial scandals tarnished his reputation”.

We’d love to know which Irish people you think made enough of an impact in the past 14 years to merit a new entry in the Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Give us your suggestions in the comments section below.

Slideshow: Some of the new entries to the 2011 dictionary