Guinness-loving bloke spends over £7k building an Irish pub in his back garden

A Guinness lover is planning to spend St Patrick’s day in style after splurging thousands to build his own Irish pub in his back garden.

Geert Rooijakkers splashed out more than £7,000 to build the boozer and kitted it out with Irish-themed memorabilia.

Three years ago the 53-year-old paid just over £3,000 for an extension to be added to his home in Meijel, Netherlands.

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Since then he has shelled out nearly £4,400 on hundreds of Guinness and Irish paraphernalia to give the build a traditional pub feel.

He has more than 55 hand-painted signs in his snug pub, which he crowned ‘The Wrinkled Prince’ after his beloved pet Shar Pei.

The man’s twin brother also shares his love of all things Irish – and he has an “Irish cave” of his own

Together they will be celebrating the holiday with their favourite beverage.

Geert said: "I'll be in my pub with my twin brother. We take it in turns hosting each other in our Irish caves.

"This year it’s my turn. We'll be drinking Guinness with some nice food.

"I have hundreds of items. Many original, some self-made. Some are old and rare, but some are almost new.

"It’s all about the love for the black gold and the taste of Ireland."

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Geert, an ad salesman, began collecting the memorabilia three years ago, which left to him getting hold of dozens hand-painted signs in his snug pub.

Among his most cherished items is a rare, 1970s orange Draught Guinness pump, which sits on his bar.

He added: "I love Ireland. I've visited Ireland many times with my twin brother. He also has an Irish cave at his house

"I've been collecting Irish merchandise for three years now, so not that long really.

"It’s very, very difficult to get over here in the Netherlands and you must be lucky to get some nice merchandise for an affordable price over here."

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