Born on 24 September 1891 in Dublin and orphaned at a young age, Booth was brought up by his aunt, Alice Duggan, and educated at the Dominican Convent, Wicklow, the Catholic University School. After leaving school he worked for the Dublin United Tramways Company, and joined an amateur dramatic society, the Mount Argus Players, where he met Tom Collins and Charles E. Kelly, both civil servants. After the Mount Argus Players disbanded, Booth and Kelly joined the Rathgar Players. Sharing a talent for cartooning, they decided to start a humourous magazine, and recruited Collins as a writer.