Thomas Keightley (1789–1872) was an Irish writer mostly famous for his works on folklore and    mythology. His most notable works are Fairy Mythology (1850), and Mythology of Ancient Greece and Italy, a work on Popular Tales and their transmission from one country to another. Among other works he is also knows for his historical works and studies, like Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopædia (1829)
The Young Piper is and Irish folk tale, collected by Thomas Keightley. The story revolves around an Irish family. Mick and Judy had four children. Three of them were fair, healthy and strong. This was a happy family, even despite that it was quite poor and their fourth kid was weak and miserable. But it was not always this way, for all of Mick’s and Judy’s kids were born well, and people suspected, that something was not right.