You know a county is truly suffering from prejudice when your seven-year-old son rushes into the kitchen shouting, "You should hear what Dustin said about Leitrim".
That irrepressible turkey, beloved of all children, had screamed that "Leitrim is in the wrong place - in fact Leitrim is a mistake!" Nothing for it but to put crayon to paper and take the dastardly piece of poultry to task. Ten years down the line, I guarantee there will be no more jokes about how Leitrim has more trees than people.
Just examine the growth in property sales which has been taking place, particularly since 1995. A 100 percent increase in property sales, Breeda Maguire, Manorhamilton auctioneer, assures me. The demand is coming from everywhere, but most especially in two categories. Those from Leitrim wishing to return, and other Irish people moving to the county.
The next decade will see the dawn of a new era for Leitrim, bolstered by the dawning of an equally new era in the North. And then there is the discovery by artists, sculptors, film-makers and writers that you can actually buy a nice house here, with the added advantage of a studio space to work in.
E-commerce is catching on here big time, so working from home in a rural environment is going to be the big news for the county in the years to come. Never mind that other crack that Dustin made about the three new mental homes for Ireland, one in Cork, one in Dublin and a roof over Leitrim.
I'll have you know that such wise cracks will seem incongruous as measured and quality development takes place in the county, attracting the tourism bonanza that Leitrim deserves. Oh ye smart boys and turkeys, wait until the world begins to acknowledge the staggering beauty that is ours.
For beginners who might not be able to handle such panoramic views, you might start by driving from Bundoran into Manorhamilton town. I predict many car crashes, as folk stop to inhale the kind of rawness which makes sense of our tradition of painters and writers.
Or try the drive from Manorhamilton to Sligo, and take a peek at Glencar waterfall, tumbling down with awesome ferocity on the opposite side, or blowing up into the heavens, depending on the north-west wind. Partake of a smoked salmon sandwich in the delicious Glencar Lodge, and then you'll know all about gourmet snacks in the kind of environment Marco White could only dream of.
I predict that the film world will finally wake up to the possibilities inherent in this beauty, and will bet a couple of fivers on the establishment of a film commission for Leitrim, and the distribution of our scenic heaven via CD Rom.
I'm still hoping for a few new Chinese restaurants, more coffee shops, and an expansion in the kind of retail trade that gently liberates money from tourists, all in the best possible taste of course. In a decade my son will be 17, and though he'll never be recognised as a bona fide Leitrim man, I'm looking forward to hearing him declare his origins without expecting some snide response in return.
All the work carried out by the Leitrim Partnership and the Country Enterprise Board will no doubt bear even further fruit in the decade ahead, with an explosion of small to medium enterprises, offering employment and stability to Leitrim communities. And then there is the promise of investment to look forward to, the entire administrative county having recently been designated as a tax-free investment zone.
No more sad, derelict facades in its gentle towns, as investors drawn by the tax incentives restore them to their former glory. Leitrim has learned from the mistakes elsewhere, and communities here are conscious of encouraging tourism in an environmentally friendly way.
You can test this for yourself by trying to have a quiet drink in any Manorhamilton pub when the annual hill-walking event takes place. The North Leitrim Glens Centre in Manorhamilton is in redevelopment, so the new century will see expanded cultural facilities, the like of which the town has never seen.
And then there are the many splendours of the growing organic economy, where you can fill your lungs with air which is scented with rosemary, garlic, thyme and lavender in the Garden of Eden in Rossinver, or the flower and shrubbery beds of the Organic Centre nearby. I predict that distribution of these organic gems will become nation-wide, and the only de rigueur herb to serve at your soirees, will be those plucked from Leitrim soil.
And while we are on the subject of delicacies, I'll save my final words for the inimitable Dustin. Your ass is foie gras, you traitor you. Mark my words - Leitrim abu!
Emer McNamara can be contacted at emermc@eircom.net