Country legend Gene Stuart battled a terminal illness to leave a special legacy to his legion of followers. The Corner of My Life, a 12-track DVD featuring a selection of songs recorded by the Tyrone man, has just gone on release.

In September 2015, Gene was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and one of the greatest country voices ever in Ireland fell silent on February 14 of this year.

Gene sprung to national fame in 1969 when he became lead singer with The Mighty Avons after Larry Cunningham parted ways with the band to pursue new roads in his country career.

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Songs like Sing The Blues To Daddy and Before The Next Teardrop Falls struck the perfect note with country fans. From the outset, the big Tyrone man was singing his heart out to audiences who loved him as a true purveyor of the heritage of classic country music.

Gene’s songs told stories of life and drinking and crying, loving and losing, living and dying. They were songs from the fountain of the tradition, forged and moulded by such singers as Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, Charley Pride, Merle Haggard and Tom T Hall. He mined a vein that was pure gold.

In those months during which illness began to take hold, Gene launched himself with total enthusiasm behind the video project. It was a labour of love as he chose some of his favourite spots in his beloved Tyrone as the backdrop to the chosen tracks.

His wife Briege recalls how Gene (or Eugene as he was always known in the family circle) fought the good fight to fulfil his commitment to finish the video.

“Eugene had his own studio beside the house here for many years. It was a place he loved and spent so much time there with other musicians and producers. Eugene (Ownie) Smyth and others were part of life in that studio.

“Eugene was not feeling well during the summer of 2015 but we never thought it was anything remotely like how it turned out to be in September. But he had his heart set on doing this video. As his health began to decline and as he shed weight and got weaker, his resolve to see it through became stronger.

“There were times during the filming of this video that Eugene struggled because of the nature of his illness. No matter how weak he was, and there were times he could hardly muster the strength to see the day through, he knew in his heart that he had to complete this project for the family and for country music friends who were such a part of his life.

“Eugene had a great fondness and a huge respect for his friends. He did all the producing and editing of this last video, though there were times he was completely exhausted and would reluctantly have to go to bed. But he saw it through himself.

“Eugene loved the country music that he grew up with and never changed for the sake of commercial success. He stuck with the music he loved and was ever true to the songs he loved to sing.”

The Corner of My Life will serve as a true reminder of the greatness of Gene Stuart. Songs included in this collection are Farewell Marie, Heaven Country Style, A Fool Never Learns, When I Found Her, My Reason For Living, A Heart Full of Memories, Time To Pay The Fiddler, Too Many Heartaches, You Never Did Give Up On Me, Happy In Her Own Sweet Home, and the Dolly Parton classic, Do I Ever Cross Your Mind.

Gene Stuart was one of the greatest voices ever on the Irish country circuit. Way back in the days of the off-shore pirate radio station, Gene was the most requested Irish singer on Radio North Sea, which broadcast on the medium-wave band from near Hilversum on the coast of Holland. It had a huge audience all across the UK and here in Ireland where the signal came in clear late at night. Don Allen, the Canadian DJ, proclaimed Gene Stuart as one of the finest country singers anywhere in the world.

Gene and The Homesteaders took their brand of country music all over Ireland and the UK. Among his most popular songs of that era were I’m Just Lucky I Guess, Don’t Go, ? ?, The Wreck of The Old Number 9, Christmas time Again In Connemara, I’d Rather Love and Lose You, To See an Angel Cry, and Old Fashioned Girl.

In his career of 46 years, Gene recorded over 20 albums and was at all times a brilliant ambassador for country music and Tyrone. His honesty and famous one-liners were the heart and soul of this truly amazing gentleman.

Briege and their sons Barry and Colin and daughter Karen and the family circle can be immensely proud of a man who touched the lives of so many thousands of people around Ireland and much further afield.

Gene was one of my special friends in country music for close on four decades. He was among my handful of legends and perhaps fate took a hand in the wheel of life when Gene, in the middle of his illness, performed for the very last time at my November show in Bundoran in 2015.

It was hugely emotional for the huge crowd, who gave him two standing ovations. I also had the privilege of hosting his last major interview (close on three hours) on Midwest Radio in Mayo two weeks earlier in October.

The last song on his new dvd is Do I Ever Cross Your Mind. Gene Stuart will always cross our minds while we live on this earth. He was a country legend.

• Gene Stuart, The Corner of My Life, is now available in music shops all over Ireland. It can also be ordered from Stewart’s Record Shop, Irish Street, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, or from the website www.genestuart.com