A co-founder of Adoption Rights Alliance has said she is "astonished" that a new co-living space in Dún Laoghaire in Dublin is to be called The Orphanage.
The property was reportedly being offered for rent of up to €1,500 per month as a "luxury co-living experience", according to The Irish Times.
Susan Lohan said the name does not sit well with former residents of such institutions.
She told RTÉ's Today with Sean O'Rourke that she found it very "distasteful on many fronts" to give the building this name.
Ms Lohan said it would be more appropriate to call the building the Bird's Nest, which is what the orphanage was known as.
"I'm just astonished at the tone deafness of the PR people behind this.
"The notion that they reiterate the idea that these places were somewhat cosy by calling them homes, that doesn't go down well with people who were formerly incarcerated in those places - people want them to be known as institutions.
"This particular home was on the list of institutions that was covered by the Redress Board following the Ryan Report in 2009, so this place does not have a very good history."
Independent Senator Victor Boyhan, who spent his childhood in the building, said he was surprised to hear that the space was to be called The Orphanage because it was always called the Bird's Nest in the past.
The former chairman of Past Residents of Smyly Homes and Cottage Homes said the name is "provocative and hurtful".
He said that while some abuses did take place in the home, he had some happy and good times there.
Senator Boyhan said he supports any form of housing and homes that will help people. Properly planned co- living has a place as part of a suite of measures to address the housing problem, he said.
He said that he personally would not like to live there but he hoped that those who choose to do so would be happy there.
The home on York Road was built in 1881 and housed up to 150 children between the ages of seven and 12.
