The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland Branch Welcomes Mrs. Betty Booth as New Honorary President
The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland Branch is delighted to announce the appointment of Mrs Betty Booth as its new Honorary Branch President for 2025.
At the Branch AGM held on 30 November 2024, Mr. Winston Pinkerton announced that he would not be seeking re-election to the post which he had held and and served with distinction since 2015. As no nominations had been received at the time, Winston graciously agreed to remain in office until a successor was appointed. At the AGM, the Branch membership empowered the Branch Executive Committee to identify and select a new Honorary President on its behalf.
In February 2025, Mrs Betty Booth accepted the invitation to take up the role and on 16 April 2025 at the Ulster Solo Championships in Cookstown, Winston ceremonially passed on the Chain of Office to Betty.
Betty receiving the Chain of Office from Mr Winston Pinkerton
More about Mrs Betty Booth
Betty is a well-known and respected figure in the Northern Ireland pipe band community, particularly within the County Fermanagh Section. She has shared a few words of introduction:
“As a child, I was surrounded by the sound of pipes and drums, hearing them practicing on summer evenings—it was part of everyday life. In my professional life, I’ve always worked in administration, having worked for many years as a senior clerical officer in a special school.
My involvement with the pipe band fraternity spans more than 40 years, supporting my late husband Ken during his time as Secretary of the County Fermanagh Section. Those were incredibly enjoyable and rewarding years, working alongside Jim Henderson, our Section President, and Pat Murphy, our Section Chairman. We also enjoyed strong connections with Branch Officials at the many contests over the years. A highlight I’ll always cherish is when Killadeas Pipe Band became World Champions of their grade—on three occasions! We were all so pleased and its something we’ll never forget!
Throughout the years, our home was always alive with music too—Ken played the pipes, and our sons Adrian and Peter were both drummers, often practicing most evenings… outside I must add! The sound of the pipes and drums became the soundtrack of our lives, it filled our home and our hearts and my passion for it remains strong.
I was truly shocked and honoured to be asked to take on the role and serve as Honorary Branch President this year. It is a privilege to follow in the footsteps of Winston and those many great people who have come before. I look forward to embracing this new chapter and promise to fulfil the duties of this role to the best of my ability. I am also excited to get to know many more across our wonderful Branch and very much look forward to working with everyone.”
The Branch extends its deepest gratitude to Winston for his many years of dedicated service, not just in the role of Honorary Branch President but many others that he has served with so much dedication. We all warmly welcome Betty as she begins her tenure and look forward to her continued contribution to pipe bands across our Branch.
