Hugh Callaghan, one of the Birmingham Six wrongly jailed for IRA pub bombings in 1974, has died in Hackney.

Callaghan died on May 27 aged 93 at Homerton Hospital, according to The Guardian.

The paper said that he was admitted to the Hackney hospital with chest pains, and spent his last day with his partner Adeline Masterson.

The Birmingham Six were Irish men living in England who were convicted of killing 21 people and injuring 182 in an IRA bombing of the Mulberry Bush and Tavern pubs in Birmingham.

Callaghan was arrested the day after the bombings, on November 22, 1974.

Police were found to have obtained false confessions from the men – Alsatians were put in Callaghan’s cell – that subsequently led to life sentences.

The other five members of the Birmingham Six were Patrick Joseph Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker.

This Is Local London: 2. The Birmingham Six outside the Old bailey in London, after their convictions were quashed. Left-right: John Walker, Paddy Hill. Hugh Callaghan, Chris Mullen MP, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter and William Power2. The Birmingham Six outside the Old bailey in London, after their convictions were quashed. Left-right: John Walker, Paddy Hill. Hugh Callaghan, Chris Mullen MP, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter and William Power (Image: PA)

Callaghan is the second of the men to die, after McIlkenny in 2006.

The Birmingham Six were eventually exonerated in 1991 and released following a ruling by the Court of Appeal.

After his release Callaghan moved to Hackney with his partner Adeline Masterson.

Following his death, a statement from the Mulready family, who were friends with Callaghan, read: “Hugh’s passing feels like the end of an era.

This Is Local London: Paddy Hill, Hugh Callaghan and Billy Power. See PA Story LEGAL Six. Photo by David WestingPaddy Hill, Hugh Callaghan and Billy Power. See PA Story LEGAL Six. Photo by David Westing (Image: PA)

“We loved and admired him very much, and all of us are so proud that he was a part of our lives.

“He was a man with astonishing strength of character.

“Despite the profound injustice he endured, he was not bitter or angry, but joyful and always ready to sing.

“His party piece was Danny Boy, and his voice was magnificent and strong right to end, with the last day of his life spent with his beloved Adeline, singing to the nurses in hospital.

The statement added: “But we know the last years of his life were full of love, singing, dancing and Irish music. We will continue to try and live the values of forgiveness and gentle optimism that Hugh taught us.”

One of nine children, Callaghan was born in the Belfast district of Ardoyne in 1930, before moving to Birmingham to look for work aged 17.

For more than 25 years Hugh worked as a labourer at factories in and around Birmingham.

Callaghan is survived by his daughter Geraldine and two grandchildren.