A HOMELESS mum who was forced to sleep in a police station with six of her kids has hit out at online trolls.

Margaret Cash and her six sons — aged between one and 11 — had to kip on hard chairs at Tallaght Police Station, Dublin, on Wednesday after emergency homeless services were unable to find beds for them.

Distraught Margaret said she has been homeless for a year — since the private house she was renting was repossessed.

The mum released photos of her sons — Johnny, 11, Tommy, 10, Miley, seven, Jim, four, Rocky, two, and one-year-old Andy — sleeping on chairs in the waiting room to reveal “the reality” of the homeless crisis.

But in an exclusive interview, Margaret, 28, revealed how keyboard warriors have bombarded her with hateful messages.

Trolls have flooded her Facebook with abuse and flagged up recent photos of the mum-of-seven drinking and splashing out on dresses for her daughter’s Communion which they claimed showed “anything but poverty”.

But Margaret hit back at claims of a party lifestyle and lavish spending — as she insisted the social media gossips have no right to “judge” her.

The mum — who said she has been on the housing list for 11 years — said: “There is all sorts of stuff being written online.

“About having a few beers, so you are not allowed to have a few beers, all because you’re homeless?

“It is a bit stupid. It was one box of beer that cost €16.

“There is an awful lot of people who think they know it all, they don’t even know me, they know nothing about me.

“I was sitting in a friend’s house, having a few drinks. I just took a picture of a box of beer, that was it.

“It was last week or something. My friend knew the stress I was under, going night to night not knowing where we’d sleep and my daughter was in hospital and all.

“And she said just come up. And I went up and we had a few drinks, a few bottles of beer in the house.

“And they are like, ‘You shouldn’t be drinking like that’ — as if I’m a raging alcoholic.

“The abuse is disgraceful.”

Trolls also used photos of her daughter Rebecca, nine, making her Holy Communion to make claims about her spending elaborately.

But the proud mum said she saved up for her girl’s big day.

Margaret explained: “I got her a nice Communion dress, so what?

“My young one made her Communion. Just because you are homeless it shouldn’t stop me.

“I spent a whole year organising all that.

“Paying bit by bit out of my child benefit every month for her dress, to make sure she got exactly what she wanted because she is my only girl.

“We didn’t go out anywhere afterwards.

“You only get to see your little girl in a white dress twice, on the Communion and on the day she is getting married.”

Margaret added: “They’re saying you should be ashamed — I already know that.

“I am ashamed of being homeless, but what can I do?

“They are saying horrible things but they don’t know what it is like.”

Hundreds have commented on Margaret’s Facebook page, some supportive but many critical.

Other messages include derogatory comments about the mum having a large family.

Responding to the comments, horrified Margaret spoke lovingly about each of her kids.

The single mum said: “[The dad] isn't around. I’m on my own with the kids.

“People think having the kids is really, really hard, but I think they’re great.

“That’s what I do. That’s my life. If we had a house we would be OK.

“I know there are people on Facebook saying, ‘Why did you have so many kids?’

“You don’t plan to have so many kids, it just happens.”

Margaret also confirmed she was once busted by cops for handling stolen goods when she was younger.

She said: “That is going back years ago. That’s stupid, none of that has nothing to do with what’s going on now.

“If I was a murderer or a rapist, it wouldn’t make a difference, everybody has a human right to be housed, to have a home.

“No matter what I done in my past, it doesn’t take away the fact that I have a right to be housed.”

Margaret released photos of her children on chairs in the cop shop to expose “how bad the homeless crisis is”.

The pictures carried a caption saying: “Well after been 11 year on the housing list a year on the homeless dis is wer my 7 kids have to sleep (sic).”

As no emergency accommodation was available on Wednesday night, the mum said she was directed to go to the police station by the Focus Ireland homeless charity.

After their night in the cop shop, Margaret went with her boys to the homeless section of South Dublin County Council to try again to secure accommodation, but failed.

She later secured somewhere to stay until Monday via the Inner City Helping Homeless charity but fears for the future.

She said: “We’re dreading it, we don’t know what’s happening then. We will be back out on the street again.

“There has been no contact at all from the Government or the council.

“It’s madness, they don’t really want to know. I ring the council every single day.”